An Unforgettable Day
by Lana Langston
Summary: Cat and Bones are getting married! Will everything go smoothly as planned? Rated M for language and maybe lemons later.
1. Chapter 1

I know its been awhile since I've posted or written anything but that because I've had writer's block for awhile now. But I have broken my writers block yesterday! All it too was watching some television specials on Will & Kate: The Royal Wedding and looking at bridal gowns at David's Bridal (for amusement). I'm back and I am really psyched about this new story I've started! I love writing fanfics for Night Huntress series!

Disclaimer: _Night Huntress characters belong to the the amazing Jeaniene Frost, not me. _

_Here's my new story called An Unforgettable Day. Hope you guys enjoy it! Love to hear your feedback!_

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><p><em>~Bones~<em>

I though that I was perfectly content with my prestigious reputation as the _best _hired underground vampire assassin. I mean there are not many of my kind who is in my line of work. Actually, I'm the only vampire who is the best known assassin of my kind. Well, that all changed after that fateful day in the cave. The day I met Catherine. All of a sudden, my prestigious reputation was no longer the most important thing to me.

If you asked me years ago if I would ever consider the crazy notion of marriage I would have laughed my arse off and said are you were bloody high. Marriage isn't that crazy of notion now. No matter how stubborn my kitten can be at times, I still love her to death, literally. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without Cat.

_~Cat~_

I'm so nervous. Only three more hours. I can't breathe, wait, I'm a vampire I don't _need_ to breathe anyway. Why does it feel like there are frogs and butterflies jumping and fluttering around in my stomach? Oh God, what if Bones can't go through with this wedding? Hold on, why the hell did I just think that? Bones loves me and he would do no such thing!

"Catherine!" my mother shouts. "Stop dilly-dallying child! You still need your hair and make-up done! You haven't even gotten into the dress yet! What have you been doing?" My mother is now officially panicking. This isn't helping me right now.

"Justina, please calm down and breathe," my best friend says. "You freaking out is of no good to Cat right now. Don't stress her out especially on _her _wedding day!"

Denise can tell from my worried expression that if my mother freaks out on me now I am going to have a meltdown soon. She is just intuitive like that. Plus, Denise has been my best friend for the past five years, so she knows me well. Many years ago we had made a pact to plan each other weddings. I helped my friend plan her wedding this past spring to my soon-to-be husband's friend, Spade. Now, it is her turn to help me plan my own wedding to Bones. Its funny how in the end we both ended up marrying two guys who were vampires and best friends.

My mother stormed off huffing and puffing about how I chose the best moments such as three hours before my wedding to not properly gauge my time to primp and prep. That's my mother always on her own set time schedules. At least she's not as anal about keeping to those schedules now after meeting Randy. Three weeks ago, I came home to surprise my mother for her birthday. Only it turns out _I'm_ the one in for a surprise. All these years, she has refused to date anyone, but it seems now she had changed her mind. The house was seriously too quiet. It wasn't normal. My grandparents were not even home! Me being smart decided to see if she was had slept in on her birthday which was fine with me because I had business with Bones that morning. Her bedroom door was slightly ajar, so I quietly hid behind the door using my new-vampire hearing to eavesdrop. What I heard mentally disturbed me. I didn't even need to open the door to know to see what she was doing. Or should I say _who_ she was doing. I wasn't quite sure what to do. I couldn't move because I was too emotionally and mentally scarred. My mother and Randy. I'm _still_ getting used to them dating.

Ironically, my mother and Denise ended up dating or marrying people who are Bones's friends. How it happened I will never know, honestly. Hell, the only person I know who isn't dating or married to any of Bones's friends is Annette. How did my life end up like up this? I can't complain it has been majorly good since I met Bones and all our crazy adventures in the past several years have been exhilarating. After our life-and-death defying adventures, I just want to settle down a bit before I do another thrilling mission.

_~Spade~_

I have never seen Crispin so happy. All those years of solitude, he was a vampire assassin had made his ruthless heart hard as stone. We both are lucky bastards. We both have found incredible and unique women that unconditionally love us regardless of pasts. I was so bloody happy to when he called up me a couple months ago to invite me to his wedding.

_"Hallo?" I replied casually. I knew it was Bones, but I enjoy mind games with my hot-tempered friend._

_ "You sod, it's Bones."_

_ "Bones! Hallo! What have you been up to, mate?"_

_ There was a brief pause. I could hear muffled sounds in the background. I assumed it was Cat. _

_ "Spade! It's me Cat! I have some great news-"_

_ "Kitten, I was talking to Charles. I was going to tell him, so you don't need to. Also, it is not polite to steal the bloody phone from me!"_

_ Bones and Cat were at each other throats__ arguing viciously. That wasn't unusual for them. While they continued to argue in the background, I poured myself another glass of Scotch and savored it. _

_ "Ehm, sorry about that interruption, but it __seemed Cat got a bit too excited and out of line."_

_ "It's fine."_

_ "Anyways-I wanted to tell you that Cat and I have wonderful news! We are getting married this June! I wanted to personally invite you and Denise."_

_ "Bloody hell! That's fantastic news, mate! I'm so happy for you and Cat! Denise and I would be honored to attend your wedding."_

_ "One more thing: Would you be my __best man? We've been through a hell of lot in the past two centuries and I can't imagine anyone else but you being my best man."_

_ "I would be honored to be your best man, Bones. I'm so happy that you finally found a woman you could settle down with. Hell, we both found women to settle down with." _

_ "I'm sure you already know that Cat has asked Denise to be her maid of honor."_

_ "I assumed she would ask Denise," I said with a light chuckle. "My wife is Cat's best friend."_

_Another pause._

_ "__How on earth did we end up after all these years end up marrying two fantastic women who also happen to be best friends like us?" Bones pondered pensively. _

_ "I have no idea, Bones__. I really do not know. That's the funny thing about irony."_


	2. Chapter 2

It has been awhile since I updated, but unfortunately life got so busy (as many of you can understand) and I've had NO time to write. :O...But it's officially summer and I am excited to return to this fanfic because I'm really having a blast writing this. I've have been painstakingly working on the next chapters after this. You guys will enjoy what is in store for Cat and Bones leading up to the wedding and on the day of it. It will be lots of crazy and wild but memorable times for Cat, Bones, and their wedding guests.

I hope ya'll enjoy the chapter 2 of An Unforgettable Day. I'm always glad to hear your thoughts and opinions. Thank you all for reading my story and sticking with me. Enjoy! R&R!

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><p><em>~Cat~<em>

Wow, all those months I stressed to plan everything for my wedding from the location to the flowers to the dress. I have lost much sleep to make sure every detail of this wedding would be perfect and go off without a hitch. Luckily, I don't have to worry about a large guest list since Bones and I had decided to have a small private ceremony with our close friends and family. Well, there are _two _exceptions to the close friend and family invitation. Tina, Kira's younger sister, and her lover, Gorgon, will be attending the wedding festivities. This year seems to be a year of weddings. Kira and Mencheres got married three weeks before my friend, Denise, got married to Spade. Now it's my turn.

Bones and I had some difficulty deciding of the location of the wedding ceremony and reception. We wanted a location that was meaningful to both of us. We contemplated this for weeks. Paris was nearly the location, but then every time I thought about it I had recurring nightmares of the Gregor. London sounded lovely since it was where Bones lived most of his life. Bones repeatedly insisted that he didn't want to be reminded of his days as a gigolo and thief. The same went for Australia which only held painful memories for Bones. I didn't want to return to my hometown back in Ohio. My grandparents were viciously murdered in my old house. It was almost impossible to think of a location we had ties to that weren't linked to bad memories or painful pasts.

Then, we had a breakthrough. Bones and I mused on the many wonderful memories of the seven years we had been dating. Despite all the tumultuous times in our dysfunctional and unconventional relationship, there have been many joyous moments. Ironically, the cave was a meaningful place to both of us. We both seem to distinctly remember that our relationship started the day we met in that cave. Also, it was where Bones and I first had sex. Therefore, it was the _perfect _location for the wedding ceremony and reception.

The wedding theme revolves around the colors red and white. It was a mixture of traditional and contemporary. Since I am unofficially known called "Red Reaper" in the supernatural world, the color red was quite appropriate and fitting. Luckily I was able to find a wedding dress that incorporated red and white. It was an arduous task. After browsing more than ten bridal stores, I had found _the_ dress. Keeping with my wedding theme colors, Denise thought the flower arrangements should be white lilies and blood-red roses.

I could not have planned and prepared this wedding without my best friend. I was never a girly girl when I was younger. Unlike most young girls, I never spent much time dreaming of my wedding day or played dress-up. I had my own personal and family problems to deal with growing up that I cannot recall many happy memories in my childhood. Denise had made this entire process simple and not as stressful as I though it would be.

To decorate the cave, it was a difficult challenge for Denise and me. At first, the notion of having a wedding ceremony in the cave sounded ideal for Bones and me. Though, I didn't realize how challenging it would be to decorate and completely transform this dark, desolate cave. I had my work well cut out for me. We drafted several blueprints of possible decoration schemes. Many of those sketches and blueprints were scraped. It would either be too elaborate or tricky to get the supplies here. Also, some design blueprints were too plain. The cave has to be magnificent and very colorful but at the same time creating a romantic atmosphere for the wedding ceremony. Finally, Denise and I managed to create a blueprint that fit our criteria and was plausible to transport the materials here without drawing too much suspicion. Now, I had to figure out where to hold the reception after the ceremony.

_~Bones~_

I feel useless. Not knowing how to help out my kitten with the wedding planning. She swears that she doesn't need any help because Denise has been more than resourceful. Also, Cat mentioned something about a pact her and Denise made years ago. Women. I still don't understand these intriguing species yet, even after more than two hundred years of being undead.

Anyway, I had to do something productive even if it didn't pertain to the wedding. It seems the Cat and Denise have gotten is all under control. All the spare time has left me loads of time to reminisce into my past. Lately, I am missing the days of my former profession when supernatural beings contacted me to professionally take out vampires. Of course, my hitman services didn't come at a cheap fare. I had contemplated of doing at least one hitman assignment for the past two years now. Just for the hell of it and for old time's sake. Though being a ruler of my own line and co-ruler of Mencheres's line, it keeps my schedule jam-packed and busy leaving no room for a side hitman assignment.

Now, it seems the only way to keep me occupied is by helping Don, Cat's uncle, help train his new recruits. I enjoy training newbies. They are so cocky and full of themselves thinking they are invincible and can do anything. It is fun to see the shocked looks on their faces when it dawns on them that I can damn well beat them to a bloody pulp without flinching or breaking a sweat. It may sound sadistic, but I haven't survived more than two bloody centuries being a pacifist. Don was actually surprised when I offered to help him to train the recruits. It isn't easy to surprise that old bastard. Our conversation went something like this:

_I decided to call Don and tell him about the new proposition I had for him. _

_ Ring. Ring. "Hello? Bones?" Don barked hoarsely, from all the years of smoking. "I never expected you to call here."_

_ "Cat has completely shut me out of the wedding planning. Therefore, it leaves me with nothing to do! Mencheres has given me told me not to worry about anything dealing with my usual business. You know since I am co-ruler of his line. I have absolutely nothing to keep me from bashing my head against a wall from this miserable boredom." At this point, I had been going mad for at least a week, so bashing my head against a wall sounded like a lovely idea. _

_ "A__nd this is important to me why," he said unamused._

_ "Savor this moment, Don. I, Bones, have a proposition that can save my sanity and benefit you."_

_ "Hmmm. Go on."__ There was slight intrigue in his voice. _

_ "Now, what I am about to say is not to ever be mentioned to Cat. There will be painful consequences if you tell her about this proposition."_

_ "Okay, I understand," he said sounding bored at this point. "__Now, can you please get to your damn point!" Don was starting to lose his patience._

_I distinctly recall him hysterically laughing then saying, "Did hell freeze over? Or did you just offer to help me train these newbies? Are you sure Cat didn't put you up to this?"_

_I was starting to lose my patience with Don and his smart-ass comments. "I don't have time to hear you sarcastic comments. Now, what do you say about my proposition?"_

_ "You can be a major pain in the ass and cocky bastard, but you are one the best person who can knock some se__nse into those arrogant newbs," he said with a hearty laugh._

_ Bones had gotten the answer he was looking for. _

Basically, I've gone for several hours everyday training these new recruits. It has been bloody fantastic watching them squirm under pressure as I keep guessing their next moves in a fight. Almost two hundred and twenty years of being a vampire has taught me how to guess your opponents next moves. A panicked look stays on their faces as they stress about ingenious moves that will surprise or throw me off. This has yet to occur. I've thrown so many insults and foul language at them to help motivate them. It actually works. They won't be easily glamoured by vampires. After learning very useful information about vampire and ghouls along with their strengths and weaknesses, the newbs will not fall for those myths about these supernatural beings that plague modern-day literature and movies. Overall, the recruits will be in excellent condition after I whip them into shape with my intensive training. Cat, my fiancée and soon-to-be wife, was my first student I trained and she turned out to be a ruthless and effective vampire huntress. Thus, my intensive and exhaustive training has proven successful and will fully prepare them for what they will face when they encounter vampires and ghouls. This has really helped to occupy my time these past couple weeks.

Only couple weeks till I marry my kitten. It's been a roller coaster ride these past seven years of our unconventional relationship. It was bloody worth it though.

~Cat~

Its ironic how it is that I end up marrying the same damn bloodsucker I met that fateful day in that cave seven years ago when back then I would rather have been dead than ever have any association with him. Somehow despite all the drama and heartbreak, it all worked out in the end. I never imagined I would fall in love with Bones. When you find your soul mate, no matter what storms you may face you can endure and overcome them all. True love conquers all.

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><p>Note: Chapter 3 should be posted sometime next week! Stay tuned! Just wandering, who do ya'll think are coming to the wedding? How many? The person who guesses correct will get a little sneak of the next chapter.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Summer has been hectic but I've managed to get in a decent amount of writing time. This chapter was very intriguing to write, but I had to revise it many times because I kept on having better and better ideas as I wrote it. Now, its finished and I love the final product I got. This chapter is very exciting as the wedding is in only two days! There is much craziness expected for the next chapters! I appreciate all of you being patient and the support for this story!

I hope you love it! Enjoy! I appreciate all your feedback!

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><p>Ch. 3: Day before Final Rehearsal<p>

_~Bones~_

It is funny how fast time flies by. It was only four months ago that I proposed to Cat, since we were _technically_ married under vampire laws. I though I'd make it official. We sort of skipped the entire proposal and engagement thing, by our impromptu marriage which also granted my freedom from my sire, Ian, to form my own line. I wanted to do it the right way now, so our unconventional relationship had somewhat normalcy to it. Only two months ago, we had started to announce the joyous news of our wedding. We wanted to invite only close family and friends to the ceremony. The wedding was going to be an intimate ceremony with our close loved ones. After we had personally called and invited all the guests, Denise and Cat immediately began planning and preparing for the wedding. Now it was the two _days_ before the wedding. Still cannot bloody believe how four months can go by before my own eyes.

Just like the wedding planning and preparations, I was left with nothing to do. I will make sure Cat understand how it feels to be completely bored out of you bloody mind when you've been told to you cannot be of any assistance! Despite this, I cannot wait till the day of the actual wedding ceremony. I've eavesdropped a bit on all the commotion in the cave and it sounds like Cat and Denise have been quite working their arses off. I have no idea how you can make that drab cave romantic, but I'm sure whatever Cat has planned is going to be fantastic.

_~Cat~_

I have now gone over the final details of the wedding ceremony and reception more than a dozen times. That might be a bit of over kill. I don't care. My special day will go off without a hitch or complication. I've purposely kept Bones out of the loop and prevented him from helping during this planning and prepping process, so he can be surprised with what I have planned for our day. He will be baffled how I could have accomplished all of it with only myself and my made of honor. Although, Spade has been of _slight _assistance since he has helped me by doing various jobs. One of them is to keep Bones from learning even one detail of the wedding and reception. Another job was to get some supplies for decorating that Denise and I needed, but neither of us could leave without raising any suspicions from Bones. I don't believe for one minute that he wouldn't use his _unique_ abilities to pry for information whenever or wherever he can. Being a former professional hitman, he is rather skillful at revealing information in furtive methods. This way by having a very few people involved in this entire process it will allow more surprise for guests and especially Bones. Spade swore he not breathe a word of any wedding detail to Bones.

Now, I must go attend to re-check that the cave is ready and set for the ceremony. Luckily, the cave allows enough space and capacity to hold both the wedding ceremony and reception. There will be absolutely no complains of being excessively noisy from our neighbors since they are only several miles of dense forest. The wedding festivities are exclusive for our close friends and family, though most of them are vampires. This makes the wedding festivities even more wild and loud especially the reception. The cave permits us to make excessive noise and thoroughly enjoy this joyous occasion without any worries from surrounding neighbors. I love life's wonderful little perks.

Denise will re-update me about the reception details. She has done an amazing job planning it and making those plans come to life. No matter how resourceful and helpful Denise has been she's been acting odd since yesterday. Knowing Denise, she is up to something. I'm simultaneously intrigued yet concerned what her devious scheme is. God, I hate when people surprise me. Vice versa, I get a kick surprising other people. I wish I had telepathy then I could read Denise's thoughts and find out what she was hiding from me. Argh, this is going to bother me.

_~Bones~_

After two weeks of keeping myself occupied, I am becoming a bit edgy now. I have epically failed at prying any information about the wedding and reception even using my special abilities. I even attempted prying a sliver of information from my mate Spade's thoughts, but he somehow put up a shield preventing me from doing so. Damnit, I hate being kept in the dark with this wedding.

It is infuriating to not getting my way, but I trust whatever Denise and Cat have planned for the wedding and reception will be nothing but spectacular. They are both bright and creative women who are more than capable of completely transforming my cave into grandeur and romantic setting for the wedding festivities. Our wedding guests will be blown away with our intimate wedding ceremony. It isn't common that two vampires who are married under vampire laws to want to also legitimize their marriage under human laws. Though, Cat and I always took the unconventional routes that were usually controversial. We took the supernatural world by storm with our dynamic duo fighting skills and our eccentric ways. We're a force to be reckoned with. Hell had no fury like the Red Reaper and me.

Blimey! Why didn't I think of that secret compartment of the cave where I can get a sneak peek of the layout of the wedding ceremony? I don't need to use any of my bloody vampire Master powers to see what the women are planning.

They won't even see me. I just one peek and that's it. I used to use that back passageway to get into the cave without entering through the front. This passage way came in very hand multiple times when I was a professional hit man. I am bloody brilliant.

_~Denise~_

Alright, I have gone over the reception details at least five times. Everything is perfect. Cat and I have slaved over the blueprints of many drafts of possible decoration schemes for the ceremony and reception. It takes a hell of a lot of work to make this drab cave look decadent and romantic. We couldn't have pulled it off without the assistance of my hubby, Spade. Neither Cat nor I could leave this cave and get supplies without drawing suspicions from others _especially_ Bones. It isn't easy to conceal any tidbits about the wedding planning when you have a Master vampire who has the abilities of telepathy. Even my husband has managed to put up a mental shield around his thoughts making sure not to let Bones sucker him into divulging information to him. Bones was a slick fellow.

I was assigned with transforming another part of the cave for the reception. This part of the cave was strategically planned in the more internal portion of this massive cave so the wild reception festivities. We didn't want anybody who was in the woods to hear our celebrations. Discretion is a big deal for vampires. Cat told me that she wanted the reception area to look luxurious and grandeur. Though, she emphasized that it keep the romantic atmosphere still. With these criteria in mind, I immediately began brainstorming decoration ideas. Money was no issue. I had to make this area tasteful for the guests who were mostly vampires with the exception of a ghoul and a couple humans. Large amounts of deep red flower pedals were ordered for decorating the entire area where the wedding ceremony would be held. My design could not be one bit similar to the wedding ceremony design or decoration. Everything had to be original. Entirely new design.

I though of using a different color scheme for the reception, though still stick to the wedding theme a tad. I wanted the reception to have that romantic atmosphere though with sultrier undertones. This is going to be tricky since it had to be tasteful since Don, her uncle, and her mother would be at the reception. What do you do?

Lately, I've gotten into the Ocean movies and I though about decorating the cave to look like a swanky and sultry penthouse that the high rollers stay in. It screamed luxurious and decadent. I would know personally what decadence was when the gigantic English manor which was the size mansion. Spade also known as Baron Charles has been a vampire for over a two hundred years. Over the centuries, he has inquired immense wealth.

_Two hours later_

Spade returned with all the materials and decorating accessories I needed. I was in the middle of re-editing something on my design plan blueprint.

"I believe I got all the items on the list," he said scanning the long list again. "Shite. I forgot the gold tassels."

"Oh don't worry about it," I replied. "I do not need them right now." Turning my attention from the blueprints, I looked at Spade, who was casually standing with the entire load of materials and accessories impeccably balances in his hands. I sure looked like a heavy load, but to him it was probably a light load. Being a vampire, Spade had an incredible amount of strength of that compared to an average human.

"Where do you want me to put this?" he inquired as Spade observed the decorations.

Quickly glancing back at her husband, I instructed pointing where I wanted them, "Put that pile somewhere in that corner over there. If I need anything I will need you to make another trip to the stores."

Spade put the heavy load where Denise told him to. "No problem, honey," he said with a warm smile "I like what you've done with this part of the cave so far. I cannot wait to see what it will look like when it is finished. This is starting to look like a Vegas high roller suite or penthouse."

"That is what is supposed to appear as. Cat and I wanted the guests to party in luxury."

"I _know_ without a doubt that the guests will love design layout of the ceremony and reception," he assured Denise.

"Thank you. Now I would love to continue talking with you, but I got to get back to work on the decorations. There is not much time left before the Cat's wedding day. Time is of the essence!" I laid the blueprints on the ground momentarily and ran towards my husband. Throwing my arms around his neck, I lightly kissed his lips and whispered in his ear, "When we're at home, I am all yours." My voice dripped with seduction.

"Don't be too tired when you come home because I have a couple things in mind," he suggested in a low voice. His fangs were out and his brown eyes now emerald green pierced me. Spade kissed me roughly, then walked past me making his way out of the cave.

I wasn't able to form coherent words for awhile. It took me several minutes to recover and form cohesive thoughts. Then, I went back to the design blueprints and resumed decorating. Golden tapestry covered the formerly bland, grey cave walls. A long, sleek glass bar was in the back of the room. Cat ordered more than enough alcoholic beverages. Vampires loved their alcohol especially champagne. We would not run out of alcohol. Burgundy lounging couches lined the walls. There were fifteen circular table situated in the middle of the room facing a long rectangular table designated for the bride, groom, made of honor, and best man. I alternated between navy blue and purple table cloths on the circular tables. Cat painstakingly worked on the seating chart because she knows best where to put the guest so everyone get along with people at their table. I have made great progress since I started two hours ago. Luckily, the furniture pieces and tables were not too heavy, so I didn't need any help moving them.

I was taken by surprise as I was re-securing the golden tapestries when two strong male hands pulled me into a dark corner. I couldn't see anything except big brown eyes towering over me and gazing back at me.

"Unhand me, stranger!" I demanded, but the strong hands were still firmly on my waist. Damnit, it was impossible to match the strength of a vampire.

The stranger let out a hardy laugh.

Trying to get out of his grip, I unsuccessfully managed to free myself. "Who are you," I demanded firmly.

"I'm crushed, Denise, that you cannot recognize your own husband."

I was thoroughly confused now. I'm pretty sure Spade had just left or at least I though so.

_~Bones~_

I snuck into the cave using my clandestine back-entry passage.

Blimey, I've found the Holy Grail! Ironically, my back-entry passage led me directly to the section of the cave Cat and Denise decided to hold the wedding reception. I snuck a peep between the golden tapestries hung on the walls. My cave had been transformed into room that screamed of luxury. Damn, those women have been busy. Where was Cat? I don't see her anywhere here. From my view, it seemed Cat is not here and Denise had singlehandedly managed to decorate this entire area. I didn't realize how busy the women have been planning this.

I am able to get a glimpse of the reception design layout and decoration, but I am looking to inquire more details of the wedding itself. I might be able to read Denise's thoughts since she is currently too absorbed in her own thoughts while decorating the room. She won't even realize that I using my telepathic abilities on her.

_The sooner I get done most of this work, then I can go home. I bet at this very second Spade is planning a grand night of passion and awaiting my arrival home. I don't have to do everything thing just the basic layout and worry about the nitty-gritty details tomorrow. _

Bloody hell! This is not one bit useful to me. I might have to glamour her, but she cannot see me or she'll scream bloody murder. I know Cat, Denise, and Spade have been purposely withholding any wedding details to me by putting a mental blockade around their thoughts. Could I even glamour any information out of Denise? What the hell, it's worth a shot. She seems a bit distracted right now, so I might be able break past her mental blockade.

I crept between the tapestry panels. I could pull her back behind the panels, so she would no way of getting a look at my face. Also, if I imitate Spade then she wouldn't automatically put up that mental blockade when she recognizes my voice. Fortunately, I am quite the master at imitating other people even my own friends. This is going to be fun. Luckily, Spade and I were about the same height and body build. It was quite simple to fool people with an English accent that I'm sure she cannot make a clear distinction between Spade and mine.

With her back to me, she is within my reach now. She cannot escape me now. Denise unknowingly inched towards the wall. Firmly grasping her tiny waist, I drew her back till Denise was behind the tapestry panels in complete darkness.

Denise thrashed attempting to wriggle out of my iron-clad grip on her waist. She managed to turn herself around but could not see my face. Only my brown eyes shone through the pitch black darkness. "Son of a bitch! Let me go! Now!"

I laughed maniacally.

Denise refused to give up and continued to struggle getting out of my firm grasp.

"I'm crush, Denise, that you cannot recognize your own husband," I said posing as Spade.

This seemed to baffle her.

"Spade?" she asked incredulously. "Is that you? I thought you left not too long ago. You said you were heading home."

"I did but I got awfully lonesome in our spacious house. I thought I would pay you another visit and steal you away for a bit," I said sultry and enticing her with my words. Being a gigolo, it has taught me how to seduce women not only with my enticing body but also with my words. I have greatly sharpened this skill through my years of _personal_ experience with women.

I felt her mental shield start to go down as she actually believed my impeccable impersonation of my mate and her husband.

"You missed me didn't you?" she said. Her voice had changed from suspicious to loving. Now, I just needed to pick her mind for wedding details.

Loosing my tight grasp on her waist, Denise shifted slightly.

"I knew that you would be working arduously to make every detail of the reception layout and decoration perfect, but even you do need a break sometimes. I just wanted to see how the decorating going is," he said lying adroitly. She was buying the entire act. It was as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

"It's been going great, dear," she gushed. "I am having a blast decorating this section of the cave for the reception. The Ocean's movies have been much inspiration behind the reception design and decorations. The decorations had needed to be sumptuous that shows extreme luxury since there will be the wedding guests are mostly vampires."

"That is very insightful knowledge which you have intricately incorporated with the reception design layout and decoration." Denise really had thought this and must have created many design blueprints to skillfully combine all the criteria she wanted in the layout and decorations. Denise and Cat have been working their arses off throughout this preparation and planning process. Now, I _really _want to find details about the wedding.

She continued to spill about the reception decoration. One thing women love is being complimenting on their hard work. Denise likes to know all her hard efforts are noticed.

Cradling her face in my hands, I made sure she was directly into my eyes. My chocolate brown eyes changed color to deep emerald green. I always use a calm and serene voice when I glamour humans. "Relax, Denise. You are in no danger. It's me, Spade. I want you to relax and open up you mind to everything relating to the wedding ceremony and reception." Her mental barrier had completely fallen.

_I still need to cover that damn dirt floor to complete my Vegas high roller penthouse suite look for the wedding reception. Otherwise, the room looks absolutely spectacular!_

_ Cat needs to tell me how the decorating the main open air section of the cave for the wedding is going. I hope there were enough red rose petals to cover the majority of the dirt floor. Thank god for the several rolls of white, red, and black silk! _

_ I am still wandering why Cat decided to chose to hold the wedding ceremony and reception in this __damn cave! She said it had "sentimental" memories. How the hell can a cave have sentimental values to Cat and Bones? When I asked her months ago, she gave a naughty smile and I decided that I did not want to know. Whatever the reason is, I'm sure Cat had good reason for selecting this cave for the wedding festivities. _

What? Cat hasn't told her _closest friend_ maid of honor why she wanted the festivities in this cave. I thought those women shared everything with each other! I guess not. Only Cat and I know. I like being in on a huge secret.

_ Now that I think of it I haven't seen the wedding dress yet, since Cat bought it herself. It is going to be so__mething traditional or sexier or both (since she prefers to wear more risqué outfits particularly when on a mission or tracking a vampire). Cat is a wild card because you never know what to expect with her. _

_ Did she finalize the wedding guest list yet? Who's coming? Who's not? I'm pretty sure Band-Aid and Scratch will be the body guards for the festivities. I know Fabian is attending, but can humans see him. To my knowledge, only supernatural beings can see ghosts, though many disregard them as a nuisance. _

_ Cat and I need to discuss how the do wedding ceremony and reception rehearsals? She didn't want to practice in the ACTUAL locations. Not sure why though. Maybe she is superstitious and doesn't want to jinx the festivities. Just__ when she thought everything is going well, something horrible seems to happen ALWAYS. I will not question her reason for doing so. _

_ I'm pretty sure__ the ceremony itself will not completely be traditional, so I can probably safely say there won't be any bridesmaids and groomsmen also a ring bearer or flower girl. Cat doesn't have any nieces or nephews at least not that I'm aware of. _

So it seems I can glamour a human/shape shifter. Damn, I'm one lucky bastard right now. I feel like I hit the fucking jackpot. Denise's head is swimming with thoughts about the wedding. No surprise.

Everything was fine so far because I had successfully managed to pry information from Denise. Then suddenly, I sensed a shift. Her mind began to buck in rebellion against my forced glamour. Her mental barrier began to very slowly rise up again.

_All these months planning and preparing, our efforts will be seen by the wedding guests and Bones himself. _

_ Shit, I need to quickly finish up shifting around the furniture to the EXACT spots I want them to be. _

_ Hmm…why can't I physically move any part of me…it's as if I've been mentally frozen. That's sounds stupid. How is that possible? I can only be mentally frozen by a vampire who was pretty damn powerful and had the ability to freeze people where they stood or glamouring them. The only Mencheres and Bones possess these qualities and are powerful vampires. Mencheres wouldn't do that to me because it would be of no benefit to him. Any wedding details I'm planning with Cat are of no use to him. Though…Bones is a sly son a bitch who would use his ability to glamour humans to inquire information. Can he even read a mind of human/ shape shifter? _

_ Wait, Cat told me she made sure Bones would find no way into this cave__ to get even the slightest peek. Any secret passages were sealed shut. There's NO way Bones could have gotten in. _

_ So, if Bones cannot get in this might be some stranger with some nefarious plans that involve me. This stranger could be an enemy of Cat and Bones. Shit, if that's so then I'm screwed. _

I felt her body tense in my grasp. She was beginning to panic. Tightening my grip on her shoulders, I reassured her calmly, "You are in no danger, Denise. Stop panicking. Relax. It's me, Spade. You do not need to worry, luv."

Her muscles resisted. Damn my glamour was wearing off. This will not happen on my watch.

"Luv?" Denise asked suspiciously. "You've never called me 'luv' before, Spade. Is this some new technique to seduce me?"

Damn. I dropped my impersonation act for _one_ bloody second and now she's coming out of hypnotized, glamoured state.

"Yes," I softly murmured in her ear. "Is it working?"

She smiled and nodded. Even though I almost blew my cover, I managed to maintain my impersonation. I'm just skilled like that.

The mental barrier I had broken past were now fully back up again. Well, I have pried more than enough wedding details from her thoughts. I have to get out of here before she realizes it's me. If she does, Cat is going to murder me. Yes, my own fiancé scares me shitless sometimes especially when she is in one of her intense rage fits. Hell hath now fury than the Red Reaper pissed off.

While, I was lost in thought I didn't realize that Denise had been speaking to me and was inching closer to my face. "What are you doing, hunny? Shouldn't you be getting back to, um, whatever you were doing?" Her proximity to my face was alarming too close. Her eyes glisten with lust. Not good.

"I just want to wanted to kiss you." Shit, my impersonation has gone a bit too far now. Usually I won't deny a gorgeous woman, but when the woman is your fiancée's best friend then I will. Also, if I were single, I might have done so but that is not the case. Cat and I are married under vampire law and so are Denise and Spade.

"Just wait a bit longer and you can do whatever you heart desires at home. I promised you would be all mine when you came home," I said.

"Come on, babe," she insisted desperately. "No one will see us or mind if we have our own little make-out session."

I tried to create more space between us, but my efforts seemed useless right now. Denise was surprisingly strong and pulled me closer kissing me. I must leave _now_! She pulled back a bit distraught, "You seem tense. Relax."

"Well, I can't. I'm just being modest right now. I don't think this is the right place for this," he protested. Damn this woman is persistent. It would explain why Cat and Denise are best friends.

She chuckled. "There's not need for modestly. No one is around I swear. It's just you and me."

"Anyone could unexpectantly walk in on us. I don't want anyone ruining our intimate moment. At home, I promise we can do whatever your dirty mind desires."

Denise is not backing down. Damn it.

_~Cat~_

Phew. I'm exhausted after doing the preliminary set-up for the wedding ceremony design and decorations. I thought the planning and prepping process was tiring, but the actual decorating process is quite grueling. I don't sweat easily normally. I didn't even ask Spade to help me move the furniture in their precise locations. Bones can tell you that I do not like to ask help from people if I can do it on my own. Very independent and determined person. Fortunately, there is a major advantage to having vampire strength. I've grown up as a half-human, half-vampire and been used to having a surprising amount of strength than an average human. My kick-ass vampire strength majorly helped me as I hauled all the materials I needed for transforming my part of the cave for the wedding ceremony. Spade has been a huge help to Denise and myself during this process. We couldn't leave the cave to get all the supplies and furniture we needed for the wedding festivities. If either Denise or I left, then that would tip off Bones to our plans for the wedding. I've worked extremely hard to keep Bones in the dark through the planning and prepping process. That's why I got the least amount of people involved in throughout this process. Denise, Spade, and I are the only people who know about the wedding details. I know it is killing Bones that he doesn't know a single detail about the wedding. It's pretty damn difficult to constantly keep a mental shield around my thoughts, so Bones cannot pick any information from me. Soon, I won't have to hide anything from my fiancée and he will witness with his own eyes all the hard work I've poured into this wedding especially the details. Everything _must_ be perfect! I've worked my ass off and nothing is going to go wrong on my wedding day!

I'm calling it a day. After multiple blueprint plans for the layout of the wedding ceremony, I finally managed to get a fantastic working decoration scheme for the wedding ceremony. Spade bought several pounds of red and white rose pedals. This way the cave floor looks more appealing and smells fragrant. I am still deciding whether I want the runner to be red or black or ivory colored silk or an entirely different color. So many decisions and so little time! If I don't give my mind a break from this wedding it might be difficult to cope these next few days before the wedding. Even the bride needs a break.

I'm curious to see what progress Denise has made on her task on decorating the innermost part of the cave for the reception. She might have a more challenging job than I do because that part is musty and darker even with the lighting installed there. Though, my maid of honor is quite capable of taking on this. I have faith in her that she will absolutely transform it into something amazing. I just want to chat with her for a few minutes then I will head home to Bones.

I particularly selected the innermost part of the cave for the reception. This internal portion of the cave is soundproof. I know for sure that the reception will get loud and rowdy, so anyone who might be passing through the forest and the cave won't hear a thing. It is rather brilliant actually.

The passageway to the innermost chamber of the cave is a windy and dark path which only Bones, Denise, Spade, and I can maneuver. It was specifically designed by Bones to prevent intruders from finding him if they happen to enter the cave. The cave is almost impossible to spot in this dense, green forest. The darken path was starting to light up the closer I approached the inner chamber. When I entered this innermost part in the morning, the walls and the floor were bare and drab. Now, the area had been transformed into a lavish room. Dark purple silk covered the dirt floor and tapestries lined the cave walls. Denise had effectively used the space to fit all the furniture and items she had in her blueprint layout. She didn't show me the blueprint, but I trust whatever she imagined for the space would be creative. That was a sheer understatement. Denise has completely transformed this spacious inner chamber into a lavish and luxurious. It was so decadent it screamed of excessive wealth. That was what we were aiming for when we were making the blueprint layouts for the wedding ceremony and reception. The central area of the room has fifteen small round tables that faced a long rectangular table. The round tables had alternating red and black silk table cloths, while the rectangular table was draped with a long sheet of ivory silk tablecloth. Around the edges of the room burgundy lounging chairs lined the walls. When I asked for original and creative layout that didn't imitate my wedding ceremony blueprint layout, Denise did just that and much more. This layout allowed enough room for everyone to move around. Also, it provided the guests with a swanky and upscale setting to relax and celebrate the wedding festivities. Denise strategically placed a sleek glass bar in the back of the room. The whole setup was innovative. It almost looked like a penthouse suite I stay at when Bones took me to Vegas a year ago. Odd.

Something isn't right. Denise was not here. Where could she possibly be? I don't recall her heading home early otherwise I would have seen her exit the cave. I haven't even ventured through the entire cave, but I don't think Denise decided to take a stroll though the cave. She wouldn't do that.

Using my vampire hearing, I should be able to figure out where Denise was in the cave. I could clearly put up on hushed voices somewhere in this room. Lovely, it would be great if I could find out where those hushed voices were coming from, but I don't see anywhere that could be a hiding spot. Maybe those there was a passageway behind on of those tapestries draped on the wall. I vaguely recall a hiding spot in these walls. Well, I have got to start somewhere along these walls. Hopefully my theory is right. Otherwise, I am concerned because no on but Spade, Denise, and I know this area not even Bones. It is possible that an intruder has entered the cave and they could be one of my enemies. Bones and I have numerous enemies who would like to see us dead. First before I jump to the conclusion someone has trespassed into the cave I need to thoroughly investigate the walls.

I remembered something strange when I heard the whispering voices in the inner chamber. I could distinctly recognize Denise's voice and a man's voice. Not quite able to identify the man's voice.

Starting on the opposite end of the room, I stroked the tapestry panels while also admiring the peaceful and beautiful scene depicted on them. Nothing but just jagged wall behind them so far. Strange. I could have sworn there was a little hideaway spot in this portion of the cave. The further I got along the wall began to slowly cave in. The hideaway spot cannot be far as this wall continues to cave in.

It was not too long before the call completely disappeared behind the tapestries. I wasn't just going to barge in, instead be stealth and sneak behind the tapestries before the entering the hideout spot. Though, I must crawl on my hands and knees so I am not easily spotted. I am certain Denise is there. I'm not going to lie that walking on your hands and knees on this bumpy ground and against the rough cave wall is not pleasant. I crawled closer towards the hideout spot and the hushed voices I heard earlier were definitely coming from there.

Once in the pitch darkness of the passageway, there were two people. A tall male figure and a short female. Denise. Now just who the hell is the male figure here? It could possibly be Spade. Denise and Spade could be having an intimate conversation. I don't want to disrupt them.

"We are the only two people here, Spade. Don't be so modest."

Damn. No need to stay longer to understand what Denise meant. I didn't think Denise had it in her to that especially in a cave.

Just as I was slowly backing out, Spade's reply didn't sit quite right with me. I didn't sound like something he would say. I've known Spade for many years and distinctly know how he talks. He is very careful of how he uses his words even when he is infuriated. I've seen him use the calmest tone in his voice when he was fighting off an enemy and eliminating them. Vampires could talk to their victims every so calmly while they tortured them and killed their prey. The man facing Denise was talking in a slightly anxious tone.

"I just came to visit you, hun. I missed you when I went home. That doesn't mean I want to shag you here and now in this cave."

Or that could actually be Spade. I don't know what to think now. This is very conflicting. Is he or isn't he Spade. Ugh. It is difficult to make out faces at my level and in complete darkness.

"I've been working my ass of getting the inner chamber ready for the wedding reception. I believe I am allowed to have a few moments alone with my husband. I don't see you around nowadays. Well, except at home. We haven't had any time to spend together because when I come home I'm exhausted."

I feel like a creep eavesdropping on their intimate conversation. But there's something about the man. He doesn't sound like Spade even though the man had the same crisp British accent as him. He could be an intruder glamouring Denise to find out more information about my whereabouts. Bones and I have kept on the down low since our engagement, so our enemies might be wandering where we are. Taking a huge waft of the area, I assessed the various scents floating around. Denise's Chanel No. 5 perfume. Musty cave air. Strong aftershave and Dolce & Gabbana cologne. Definitely not Spade.

"Remember how you called me 'luv' earlier?" Denise asked.

Huh. That took me aback. I've only heard Bones call me 'luv'. Psh, that's impossible. Bones was home when I left this morning. There is no way that he could be here. We've sealed off any entrances that he could sneak into the cave. I guess there is only one way to find out for sure.

Crawling closer towards them, I used my night vision to help me see through this pitch darkness. It was still difficult to make out the man clearly. My powers are still new and will take time to sharpen them. I crept closer and closer but not too close that they could sense my presence there. The man's British accent began to sound very similar to Bones the more I listened. It's not possible. I must just miss my fiancé that my mind is convinced it's him. Damnit, I hate it when your own thoughts cause internal confliction. It is must be all this stress planning and preparing for the wedding.

The mystery man remained silent. I remained very still and continued to investigate the identity of this man. Ha I got an idea! Instead of creeping in the darkness, it would be more fun if just walk out and act like I didn't expect anyone to be there. If it is Spade, then I will apologize to them and feel relieved that it wasn't an intruder with Denise. Though, if it is an intruder who somehow snuck into the cave, then I'm going to beat him to a bloody pulp and figure out who sent him. Well, this is going to be a 50/50 shot.

_~Bones~_

Bloody hell. I need to get out of here now! I overestimated Denise. She may be short but has one hell of a strong grip. Then again, she is a shape shifter. I've gotten the information I needed from her thoughts. Now, I just want to get out of this cave before Cat discovers I am here. Somehow, it seems she has managed to corner me back into a corner.

While I was contemplating of an effective escape plans, Denise seemed to have said something, but I didn't quite hear it. Now I'm starting to regret sneaking into the cave because not I'm in a sticky situation. Cat could easily walk in right now and I'd be seriously screwed.

What the-! Did I miss something? Last I recall Denise was merely a few inches from my face which is entirely too close for comfort. The situation has gotten even worse. Shit. Now, she has sandwiched herself against me.

"Are you sure you are alright, Spade," Denise asked again.

I cleared my throat. "Yes dear. I forgot that I was cooking something at home for you. I better hurry back to check on it."

Raising her eyebrow, she inquired with a hint of skepticism, "Oh really? You cooked for me?"

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise, but too late for that. I made your favorite meal." Hopefully, this should convince her to let me leave.

Throwing her arms around my neck, Denise gave me a bear hug nearly causing me to fall over. "Oh my god, I cannot believe! You made me paella!"

"Erhm, of course I did. Why would lie about such a thing?" I replied with a nervous laughter.

"You are such an amazing husband, Spade!"

Phew, Denise believed that story. Spontaneously, Denise gave me a passionate kiss and tightened her grip around my neck. Bah, why can't I get a break!

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, a slim silhouette of a woman appeared few feet behind Denise and me. There is only one person who that could be. Cat.

"Denise? Are you here?"

I'm screwed. I was not getting out here in one piece. Let's hope Cat doesn't happen to have any weapons on her.

Denise snapped her head around to register who it was.

"It's me, Cat. I just thought I'd pop by and see how you were doing or if you needed any help decorating."

"Cat?" Denise broke away from me and began to walk towards Cat. Great, now I can get out here before they realize my absence.

"I didn't mean to intrude on anything. I wasn't able to find you anywhere in the room. It took awhile, but I discovered the wall caved in behind those tapestries. Following the caving in walls, I came across this little hideaway spot," Cat explained. Damn, I didn't even tell her about my secret entryway, but she found it still somehow. Cat was is quite determined when she sets her mind to it. Also, she was very observant on the smallest details that many people miss.

"It's actually a funny story how I ended here," Denise began.

That's my cue to get the hell out now. I've realized over two centuries that once women start talking it is very difficult to get to them to stop. I'm going to take advantage of that. Well, it looks like I got lucky and was given an escape plan I didn't think of.

"Here I was working on this inner chamber getting it decorated for the reception. Suddenly, two hands grabbed my waist and pulled me into this little cozy nook. It was Spade. I was going to take a little break from the decorating anyway, so some private with my husband seems like a wonderful break to me. Oh, you don't worry about intruding on anything. We were just having a normal conversation. Spade had dropped by earlier with the supplies I needed, but it seems me missed me awfully a lot when he went home. Didn't you dear?"

Son of bitch, I was so close to discreetly escaping.

"Where you going, Spade? I am going to call it a day, so we can head home together."

"I don't want to burn the paella, so I better run go check on it. It would be tragic if it burned," I said trying to make a valid excuse for my hasty departure.

Denise ambled over towards me and grabbed my hand yanking me towards her and Cat. Oh no. How is her grasp so strong? This doesn't make sense! Despite all my resistance and strength, she managed to pull me forward. I was now officially panicking.

Cat opened the tapestry panel allowing a sliver of light to shine in the darkened hideaway nook. "Let's continue our conversation out here," she suggested to Denise.

"Okay. Come on, Spade. I'm sure the paella is fine. A few minutes won't do any harm," Denise assured me with a slightly impatience tone.

Yep, it's official. I'm so screwed that I'm a lucky bastard if I can get out of this fucking cave alive and in one piece. Peach just bloody peachy!

_~Cat~_

Aha, my plan is working! Denise may not be aware. This way by bringing her and the man she _supposedly_ claims is Spade into the main room I am able to assure that it is Spade. If it was an intruder, then I was ready for him. He was going to nice fist sandwich from me.

What the-! I didn't expect this! How did _he_ get it? Denise and the mysterious man entered the main room. It definitely was not Spade. The mysterious man wasn't a stranger. I didn't need more than a quick glance to instantly recognize the man. Tall and muscular built. Chiseled, pale face. Brown curly hair. Brown eyes. A skull and bone tattoo on his lower right arm. Bones.

How the hell did Bones get in the cave? Denise, Spade, and I sealed off every clandestine entrance into this cave!

_~Bones~_

Cat was pissed off. Her grey eyes burned with rage as it rapidly became bright emerald green. Her fangs were fully out. Her arms crossed tightly across her chest and shoulders tensed.

"Son of bitch! What are you doing here?" she hissed irately. Her emerald glare burned holes through me.

Denise looked confused. "What's wrong, Cat? Why are you angry? I don't understand. Spade, what's going on?" she asked me.

Right now, I am not concerned about keeping Denise in the glamour. I just needed to find a way to get out of here alive and in one piece. The way Cat is glaring clearly says she wants to unleash her fiery, raging wrath on me. Lovely.

She began walking towards me. "How the hell did you get in? I want you to answer my question now!" Clearly, Cat has not a trace of patience it seems.

"Spade took pity on me when I realized yesterday after my venting. He realized how miserable I've felt not being able to help one bit. I've felt so useless. He removed the seal on one of the entrances and let me have a quick peek," I lied. It was better than telling how I _actually_ managed to sneak in.

"Liar. That's complete bullshit," she exclaimed lividly. "Spade and Denise took a sacred oath to not let you in on any wedding details. Also, they would to do everything to prevent you from sneaking into the cave while we were planning and decorating the wedding for the festivities. Spade may be your closest friend, but he wouldn't do such a thing."

I tried to say something else, but went on rampant tirade. There's now way I would dare try and interject during her angry rant. Also, there was nothing I could say that would help my case right now. By remaining silent, I couldn't incriminate myself anymore. Therefore, silence was my best option at the moment.

Slamming her fist against my chest, Cat screamed with rage, "I know it difficult to know not know a single detail about the wedding, but why must you be so damn persistent and stubborn? Don't you trust me and my team to do a fantastic job of planning and preparing the cave for the wedding festivities? The nerve you have to piss me off when you know I'm dealing with so much stress right now! The wedding is _only_ two days away! You are absolutely one lucky bastard that I don't have any weapons on me right now! Otherwise, I would use them to torture you in everyway possible! You really are so infuriating sometimes! I don't have time to waste because I have several matters to attend to dealing with the wedding! I have been thinking today about giving you a tiny teaser detail. After this stunt you pulled today, I won't give that any consideration."

Denise was still a bit disorientated from her glamour as she was slowly snapping back to reality. Her thoughts were still a bit jumbled and incoherent. _Whoa, wait a minute, what is Cat doing here? She seems to be in a pretty intense argument with…is that Spade? Why is she arguing with Spade? Did he do something? What is going on? I'm so confused right now. _

Also, it seemed she was having a bit of amnesia of events that recently happened while she was in her glamoured state. "Um, Cat, when did you get here? Why are you arguing with my husband? Did he do something or offend you in some way?" Denise asked.

Cat paused her angry rant momentarily. Turning to her friend, she replied, "Denise, you are coming out of your glamour which my fiancé, Bones, put on you. I am not arguing with Spade. I haven't seen Spade since early afternoon which was several hours ago. Right now, Bones and I are having an argument over a _certain_ issue."

"Technically, we aren't having an argument, Denise," I clarified to correct what Cat had said. "An argument would imply that both she and I are equally contributing to the conversation. So, that is not the case. Right now Cat is angrily ranting to me and channeling all her pent up fury into a harangue."

"Bones?" Denise said baffled. Apparently she hadn't quite registered my presence yet.

"Bastard," Cat spat crossly as she repeatedly punched my chest. "Smug son of a bitch! I am not in the mood for your smart-ass comments! We are having an argument dammit! I best advice you shut the hell up now if you don't want me to release my full wrath on you!"

"How did Bones get into the cave?" Denise mused quietly to herself. "We sealed off all secret entrances into this cave. I don't understand." Sitting on the lounge chair, Denise tried to make sense of this whole situation except nothing was making sense.

My patience was rapidly thinning as Cat continued to furiously yell at me. I've had enough of Cat's angry fit. Firmly grasping Cat's wrists and said, "You can maliciously threaten me and call me whatever names, Kitten. But right now you are seriously pissing me off. You don't bloody understand how maddening it was to feel so useless! So I don't want to hear your shit about the less I knew the better it was. I have every right as your fiancé to give my input into the wedding planning and preparation. It is not only your wedding, but it is _our_ wedding dammit!"

Still glaring at me with her hands on her hips, Cat said spitefully, "How would you have given any useful input throughout this process? What qualifies you to plan a wedding? Nothing. It is not my problem that you feel utterly useless. It's called get a new fucking hobby, Bones. Mencheres did give you a break from your Master duties, but that doesn't mean you can get creative and find something else to occupy yourself. I mean you've survived for over two centuries, so you figured out something to amuse you."

Oh how rich! She thinks that I can come up with something to keep myself occupied at the snap of my fingers. "Just because I have been immortal for more than two centuries doesn't automatically mean that. I've been around this long because I know how to adapt and survive. I don't have to pursue hobbies when you are a Master of your own line and co-Master of another line! You already know that I've been am the _best_ vampire assassin the supernatural realm has ever known. As you know before I was a vampire, I was a gigolo along with being a thief. I don't need to rehash how after becoming a vampire a _certain_ job became a frequent hobby of mine. Therefore, I haven't had many hobbies in all my years of immortality. Don't you bloody lecture me on how I need to figure out some new hobby or other creative ways to entertain myself! I shouldn't even need to if you let me get involved in the wedding planning! But you have denied me that!" Cat thought she knew all the answers to life.

"You know what. I don't give a shit what you feel or think. I'm the bride and I will decide who gets involved in the wedding planning and preparation. I've had enough of you and your smart-ass comments."

Cat is so infuriating and stubborn sometimes. When she was angry, she was even more stubborn and fierce. "If you feel that way, then why don't you just marry yourself? It seems you don't need me if you are so hell bent on planning the entire wedding by yourself and your team."

"Don't be an asshole. In my childhood, I wasn't those girls who dreamed of every detail of their wedding and most of my life hasn't been happy. I absolutely have the right to plan my own wedding because there have only been a few things in my life that have made me happy. For your information, I didn't tell you anything about the wedding so I could surprise you on the day of the wedding. Also, my team and I have had a blast planning and preparing for the festivities. So screw you."

There was a long pause. Tension and anger hung heavy in the air. Cat and I were having an intense glaring competition.

After several minutes, Cat broke the silence. "I've had it with you Bones! I am going to…" she exclaimed fiercely and trailed off unable to formulate the right words to express how she felt.

"Well I feel the same way about you right now! You are going to what? Cancel the wedding? Because let me tell you that no matter what you are my wife under vampire law, so you cannot get rid of me that easily."

Jabbing her finger into her my shoulder, Cat continued one, "I wasn't finished talking! Let me finish! I've decided that I am going to stay with Denise and Spade at their house till the day of the wedding. This way I can finished doing everything that needs to be done before the wedding in peace. Also, I would never cancel the wedding. I am absolutely pissed off at you right now, but that doesn't change the fact that no matter how much we may argue with each other I will always love you Bones." And without another word Cat walked away from me.

Cat ambled towards Denise, who was still sitting on the lounge chair who was not lightly dozing. How can she possibly doze off while Cat and I were vociferously arguing with each other? Cat gently shook her friend awake.

Coming out of her sleep, Denise groggily responded, "Huh? Where am I?"

"I wanted to know if you minded I stayed with you and Spade at your house till the wedding day. I know it is a last-minute request, but I don't have time to explain why."

"Not a problem, Cat. Stay as long as you need. You don't need to explain anything," she replied as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

Cat hugged Denise. "You are the best! Before heading to your house, do you mind if I can grab a few things from my house? I will need some items for tonight."

Denise got up from the lounge chair. "Sure. I'm getting tired, so let's start making the way back to my house. I'll stop by your house."

Denise and Cat exited the inner chamber.

Now, I won't see my kitten for another day. She didn't even say goodbye. There's no reason for me to stay here any longer. I need a drink, so I'm going to go to Bite tonight.

* * *

><p>I will do my best to aim to finish chapter four before summer ends, but that all depends if I'm able to get in much writing time. To see alot of hits on my night huntress stories, it means alot to me that you all enjoy it! Thanks for your support and patience!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

_I want to thank all of you who have been so patient! I do my best to write when I'm busy, but it is hard to get nowadays. I do my best to update as soon as possible! R&R! I appreciate all of your feedback! _

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><p>Chapter 4: The Morning of the Day of Final Rehearsal<p>

_~Spade~_

I woke up very baffled. Sometime last night I could have sworn that Denise came back last night, but it seems she didn't because her side of the bed is empty. Her side is still made from yesterday morning. Where is she? I know she had been working her late nights trying to get the decorations for the wedding reception finished, but she still needs sleep to properly function. Wait, what if she's in trouble? Cat would have called me if that was the case. Where could she possibly be? Maybe Denise is downstairs. Hopefully.

Throwing on a shirt, I headed downstairs but paused at the top of the stairwell to listen for any movement downstairs. At first, there was no sound at all but then I could hear two distinct voices downstairs. Since when did we have a guest? I was not aware of any guests visiting.

"How are you feeling, Denise?" asked the other female voice.

"I'm feeling fine I think. I cannot seem to remember much of what happen last night. Bits and pieces of fuzzy moments, but nothing that makes sense."

Cat muttered something under her breath. "Don't worry. No need to stress over trying to remember the events of last night. Bones should not have done what he did."

What? Crispin? What happened last night? How does this involve Crispin? Rather intrigued now, I eavesdropped on their conversation.

Denise was quite confused. "Bones? What does Bones have anything to do with what happen last night?"

There was a long pause. Cat muttered more incoherent phrases that I couldn't make sense of. She was lost in her own thoughts.

Walking down the stair soundlessly, I tried to figure out where the woman based on the distance of their voices. The smell of pancakes filled my nostrils. Kitchen.

As I approached the kitchen, the wonderful fragrance of pancakes and French toast became stronger. The woman's voices became closer. Denise, who was wearing her favorite apron, stood with her back against me facing the stove. Cat was still muttering to herself which concerned me when she did that. She only did this when she was seriously pissed off about something. Maybe it has something to do about Crispin.

I decided to call Crispin to understand why his fiancé was sitting in my kitchen. Where did I leave my cell phone? I think I left it in my den. Otherwise it still might be sitting in the glove compartment of my Porsche. Quietly going by the kitchen so the woman wouldn't notice me, I dashed to my den. Just as I though, my cell phone was sitting on my desk.

I wonder if Crispin will even pick up if I call him. Lately, he has seemed moody and hasn't talked much to me since I started helping Cat plan the wedding. Well, it's worth a shot.

I dialed his cell. Burrriinnng. Burrriinnggg. Buuurrrinngg. Yep, he still isn't talking to me. Peachy.

"Hallo? Who the bloody hell is calling me this early in the morning?" Crispin answered groggily. Crispin sounds like he had a rough night because it seems he is in a foul mood.

Looking at my watch, it was 9:47 am. "Mate, it's nearly ten a.m."

"Charles? Is that you?"

"Why are you still asleep when it's nearly ten a.m.?" I inquired.

Crispin grumbled something incoherent. "Who do you think you are? My mum. I don't need to tell you why. I will damn well sleep till whatever time I want."

Whoa. Someone is in a very foul mood. "Fine. I had a question for you."

"Can this wait? I'm very exhausted. I had a rough night and don't feel like answering any questions right now."

What could have happened last night that has gotten Crispin so riled up? "No not really, mate. Can you explain why your fiancée is sitting in my kitchen right now? I woke up very confused. God know what time Denise came home. I'm worried about where might possibly be and then I find Cat sitting in my kitchen. Why is that?"

No reply. Crispin swore under his breathe. What the hell did Cat do?

"Hallo? You still there, Crispin?"

"I don't feel like talking about that."

This doesn't help me. "Can you at least tell my why she is in _my_ kitchen?" My patience was starting to wear thin.

"I don't care. I don't keep track of Cat's movement or location. Why don't you ask her yourself if you want to know?" he replied with a hint of irritation.

Normally, I am not easily tempered, but on days like this when Crispin won't give me a straight answer just smart-ass, vague replies. Crispin knows that I do not tolerate it when people give me vague replies to my questions.

"I am giving you an opportunity to explain the whole story, because if I ask her I will get her side of the story. From what I eavesdropped on, Cat is not likely to give a story that is favorable towards you. I'm giving you a fair chance right now. Stop being so damn stubborn."

There was long period of silence as I waited for him to respond. Blimey, why must you be so stubborn Crispin?

"Alright, I gave you a chance to tell your side of the story. Now I am going to ask Cat. Don't tell me it's unfair when I side with her story over yours. I gave you a fair chance, Crispin."

Nothing.

I've had enough of this. "You are so infuriating sometimes you know that!" I stated exasperatedly.

"Lovely, now two people have said I am infuriating. Go do that, Charles. I don't care what you do or believe. Leave me alone." Crispin rudely hung up.

Well, that was a rather pleasant conversation. Not. What was his problem? Someone woke up on the wrong side of their bed today.

_~Cat~_

Today is going to be a bad day, especially after the argument Bones and I had. I did not sleep well because that damn our argument kept replaying in my head last night. Right now I'm very tired and in a very bad mood. Also, I had a pulsating migraine that still hasn't ceased.

Insufferable, stubborn son of a bitch! Bones just has to go stick his nose into everything that he has no access to. I just wanted to surprise him on the day of the wedding. That's the reason I have kept him out of the loop throughout the wedding preparations. At least, he didn't see the decoration for the actual wedding ceremony just the wedding reception.

There is something that is important today but cannot remember what it is. I've been so stressed and exhausted from all the wedding planning. I wish I could feel happy because the wedding is tomorrow. The argument from last night has put me in a rather foul mood right now.

Thank goodness for best friends. Denise is the best friend I could have ever had! When I'm feeling like crap, she still tries to cheer me up and not make me think about my problems. I don't know how she can manage to be so sprightly even when she is having a bad day. It confounds me.

She allowed me to stay at her house till the day of the wedding because I don't think I can handle seeing Bones without going off on him for being a stubborn asshole. I should be feeling so ecstatic right now because my wedding is tomorrow not like shit. Bah.

I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I didn't know Denise has been calling my name several times. Ooops.

"Cat?" Denise said in a slightly annoyed tone.

Snapping back to reality, I replied apologetically, "Oh sorry. I was lost in my own musings. I didn't mean to tune you out, Denise."

"Finally! I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes. I was getting really concerned because you were not responding. You just were blankly staring off into space. Don't scare me like that ever."

Oh, dear. I didn't mean to make Denise concerned. I'm fine just cannot stop thinking about my argument with Bones from last night. It keeps replaying in my head not giving me peace. Also, it is making my migraine worse. "I'm fine just have a bad migraine. I didn't sleep well last night that's all otherwise no need to worry about me. "

"The pancakes and French toast are nearly done. Some food in your system should help with that nasty migraine," Denise replied with a warm smile.

Spade walked in the kitchen shirtless. Vampires didn't care about modesty. Walking over to his wife, he wrapped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, Denise. The smell of something wonderfully delicious coming from the kitchen woke me up. What time did you get in last night? Hope it wasn't too late.

Lightly kissing his lips, Denise smiled and said affectionately, "Good morning to you, Spade. I came in pretty late last night. When I came into the bedroom, you were sound asleep and I didn't want to wake you so I crashed in the living room with Cat. Cat asked me last night if she could stay with us till the wedding. I hope you don't mind, hun."

"I almost panicked when I woke up when I didn't see you next to me. I know you have been working on final preparations for the wedding, but you need you sleep too. There are noticeable bags under your eyes lids from your lack of sleep from this entire wedding planning process. I'm just making sure that my wife looks beautiful for the wedding and is well rested. Oh, it's fine if Cat crashes here till the day of the wedding. She can have one of our spare guest bedrooms upstairs."

Cat exclaimed happily, "Thank you so much Spade! I promise I will leave after tomorrow. I wouldn't want to impose unnecessarily on you and Denise."

"Oh, I better get the pancakes and French toast before they burn." Denise offed the stove and transferred three pieces of French toast and a large pancake on a clean plate. She put the plate of the delicious food in front of Cat who immediately began to devour the food. Chuckling, she noted, "Wow, you were really hungry, Cat. There's more pancakes and French toast if you want more. Feel free to make yourself at home."

Spade glanced at me with skeptical facial expression. It was sort of creeping me out.

"Can I ask why you are staring at me skeptically, Spade?" I inquired curiously. "I'm not gunna lie its really freaking me out."

"What?" he said after several blinks. "Sorry I dazed out for a minute there. Anyway I don't mean to pry, Cat. I was just wandering why you suddenly decided to stay with us till the day of the wedding. Not that you aren't welcome to stay here it's just random. Did something happen between you and Bones?" Cat's face paled and her lips were drawn into a thin line.

Denise elbowed Spade in his side. "Spade that's terribly rude and being very nosy. I didn't ask her to explain when she asked me yesterday if she could stay with us."

"Ouch," Spade exclaimed as he rubbed his side that Denise had just elbowed hard. Denise was much stronger than she looked. "I was just wandering."

Spade had hit a nerve. I knew I would have to answer this question eventually but not this early in the morning. He picked a bad day to ask such a loaded question. Even though it angers me every time I think about the argument last night, I had to reply Spade because he was allowing me to stay with them. I couldn't not answer my host's question no matter how deeply personal it was. Although, Spade was Bone's best friend so Bones might have already told him. Or not. It doesn't matter I can tell my side of the story now.

I sighed. "I knew I'd have to answer that question eventually."

Denise interjected, "You don't have to answer his question. He is just being a nosy. Sometimes his curiosity can get the best of him. We don't need to know exactly why she suddenly decided to stay with us till the day of the wedding." She glared at her husband who was glaring back at her with equal intensity. Denise and Spade were having an intense glaring contest.

As much as I wanted to avoid explaining my sudden decision, Spade might be able to give me insightful advice about this situation with Bones. He had given me valuable advice years ago of how to confront Bones about changing me into a vampire when Bones was pissed off at me. Spade knew Bones better than I did.

"It is fine, Denise. I cannot run away from this issue forever might as well face it head on. The wedding cannot happen tomorrow till Bones and I reconcile. Our argument last night got pretty heated. Alright, so do you want the synopsis or the long version?"

Spade pondered. "The long version please. Time is not an issue to me."

I laughed. Denise and Spade were now glancing at me oddly. Of course Spade would say a statement like that. When you're a vampire as old as him, time is never an issue to you.

"Anyway, it begins when I went to see how Denise is getting along in decorating her section of the cave for the wedding reception. Just wanted to see the progress she was making, not that I doubted she wouldn't do a fantastic job. Also, she might have wanted me to help with something. I make the extensive trip from the front of the cave to the back-most part of the cave. There's one problem when I arrive to the section that Denise is decorating. She isn't there."

Spade was confused. "She wasn't there. What do you mean she wasn't there?"

"Shut up and let me finish."

Denise chuckled at my statement. "You're brave to say that to him." Spade shot Denise a vexed glower.

"I used my vampire hearing and I heard Denise except she wasn't in the main room. She was in the little nook that was apparently behind one of the golden tapestries covering the cave walls. This made me suspicious. Why was she hiding in the clandestine nook? She was having a conversation with a man. This man had a crisp British accent like you and I thought it was you, but I wasn't sure so I made a scheme to reveal this mystery man. I just wanted to be reassure that it was you for sure and not some intruder glamouring Denise about Bones or my whereabouts. I called out to Denise and she answered me then came out of the clandestine nook and beckoned for the mysterious man who she believed was you to come out. This is when I became suspicious because the man started to speak a bit anxiously not wanting to come out. If it was truly you then you wouldn't have hesitated to coming out into the main room. I've known you for seven years now and I noticed that the stranger's British accent didn't sound exactly like yours. Also, the mysterious man had Dolce & Gabbana cologne and you don't wear that cologne. What really made me know it was you that Denise happened to mention that this mysterious man called her 'luv' which only Bones calls me. That threw me off because I was pretty damn sure that I had sealed off every possible entrance Bones could get it so then I thought it was an enemy of Bones and I."

Spade gazed at her wide eyed speechless, but after a few minutes sputtered. "So then what happened? Did you find out who the mysterious man was?"

"You bet I did. The man that came out had brown, short curly hair with pale chiseled facial features and almond brown eyes. A skull and bone tattoo was on his lower right arm."

"That bloody bastard! I'm going to kill him!" Spade exclaimed enraged. "How did he manage to get in the cave? We sealed off every secret passage entryway into that damn cave! That would explain why he was so rude and abrupt with me when I called him this morning to explain."

"I don't know but all I know is after I saw Bones I immediately realized that he had glamoured wedding details out of Denise. Bones had pretended to be you and get information out of Denise because he knew that she would drop her mental shield around you. Sly bastard. I gave him one hell of an enraged rant and at this point Denise was slowly coming out of the glamour. She was very confused of what was going on and why I was arguing with her husband. I explained to her that I was having an argument with Bones and he decides to make a smart-ass comment how a argument implies both people are equally contributing to it. This made me angrier and we viciously argued for about an hour. Our argument became intense and heated very fast. At one point, we were both violently yelling at each other. We were never going to end the fight so I decided that till the day of the wedding I was going to stay with Denise and you. I couldn't sleep well last night because our fight kept replaying in my head and wasn't letting me fall asleep."

Spade was muttering many threats that if he saw Bones today he was going to beat him senseless. He was pretty furious right now. I don't blame him. If I was him and I had found out that my best friend impersonated me to get information out of someone I loved by glamouring them I would be very incensed.

Breaking the silence and tension that saturated the air, I sighed and began, "I know you are blazing mad at Bones for what he did but I need to ask a favor of you."

He glances at me thoughtfully. "Sure. What is this favor you need? As long it doesn't have anything to do with Crispin..."

"Yeah...about that...this favor sort of involves Bones. But please can you help me?" I begged. I could not face Bones by myself or we'd resume where we left off in our altercation from last night. That would take us back to square one and not resolve anything.

Spade was a rather brilliant at being neutral and breaking up arguments between people. He was rather diplomatic also. That same calmness and level-headedness he uses when he is negotiating for peaceful resolutions is the same when he is viciously attacking enemy forces. It's captivating how he can so calm almost all the time even if he is fighting other vampires and killing them by the dozen. Spade was not someone you wanted to piss off. He might look calm, composed, and passive, but Spade will not think twice about getting retribution from his enemies (which usually involves torture of some sort).

"No I will not help your favor involves dealing with Crispin. If I get within five feet of him, I'm going to do something reckless and violent till he understands not to ever use mind control on my wife."

Getting out of the chair, I got down on my knees. "Please, Spade!" I begged desperately. "I understand you are infuriated with him for using mind control to pry Denise's mind for wedding details. I need someone with me when I confront him today and make him understand why I was furious with him last night. If I face him by myself, Bones and I will be arguing violently again which leaves us where we left off last night. I have to resolve this. The wedding is _tomorrow_!"

"Not happening. It won't help to have both of us there when we are both angry with him. That will get you nowhere," Spade stated frankly.

"C'mon I don't know anyone else who would go with me. Mencheres has been busy with his usual Master vampire duties. I don't even know where Annette is. My team is currently on a mission to track down some ghouls in Texas. Juan will be of no use. I need someone who Bones feels comfortable around and who he doesn't have beef with. Despite all of your conflicts, you guys have been best friends for centuries." Spade needed to get the logic of why I was specifically asking him to accompany me when I confronted my fiancé today.

Deep in thought, Spade stared off into space musing of other people who could go with Cat. He smirked deviously.

Spade's devious smirk began to worry me. I don't know what was going through his head, but I had a feeling I wasn't going to like whatever it was. He was a clever strategist and could easily think of alternative back-up plans if Plan A happened to fail.

Pulling me up to my feet, he flashed his signature grin. Now I really worried about what he was going to suggest. "I think I know the perfect person who can accompany you," he said grinning ear to ear.

"Never mind, I changed my mind actually. It might be better if I just talked with Bones by myself."

"Vlad Tapesh."

I burst out hysterically laughing so hard. "Excuse me. I don't think I heard you right, Spade. It must be my lack of sleep that is screwing with me right now. I could have sworn you just said Vlad. Please tell me I heard you wrong."

Spade was still had that devious smirk on his face.

"Nope you heard right dear," he clarified. "Vlad Tapesh."

I was speechless.

Out of all the people I knew, that is one person Spade thought _he_ would be best to accompany with me to see Bones. I don't think he realized how Bones cannot tolerate Vlad.

"What do you think, Cat? Wouldn't Tapesh be the best candidate?"

Blinking several times, I was still couldn't wrap my head around how Spade thought _Vlad_ was the best candidate. "Are you high? Vlad is the _worst_ candidate you could have possibly chosen out of all the people that I know!"

"That's where you are wrong, Cat. You aren't thinking critically about this."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? I asked you to suggest someone who was close with Bones _and who Bones didn't have beef with_! I think you missed that last portion of what I said! Bones definitely cannot tolerate the mere presence of him!" I exclaimed. I don't understand the logic behind this one. Spade was brilliant, but this was not one of his moments unfortunately.

"Let me break this down into bit size pieces that you can comprehend. Let's continue our conversation in the living room."

"Please do because your logic behind this one is really baffling me. Not gunna lie," I stated bluntly.

We headed to the living room which was scattered with my items. I didn't want to burden Denise to get the guest bedroom ready, so I crashed on the couch. Spade moved my belongings into a neat pile on the floor and took a seat on the beige suede couch. He motioned towards me to take a seat.

Settling on the reclining ottoman chair opposite to Spade, I began, "Now, could you please enlighten me how Vlad is the best candidate."

"Daft girl. You look at the superficial issues instead of looking at the whole picture."

"Insulting me isn't going to help me understand anything you are saying. In fact, I might just ignore you and go see Bones myself," I stated slightly annoyed that he has yet explained his logic.

"Vlad cherishes you as his dearest friend, so he won't let Bones lay a hand on you nor say a degrading or insulting statement. He won't let Crispin unleash his pent-up rage on you. You know how Tapesh has a nasty short-temper and happens have the ability of pyrokinesis. Without hesitating, he will set Crispin ablaze if he becomes unruly. In a blink of eye, Vlad could make Crsipin crispy. Who knew pyrokinesis come to be so handy in this situation. Crispin doesn't do civil conversations after heated arguments with people even his friends and loved ones. With Vlad accompanying you to talk to Crispin, this will force him to have a civil conversation and resolve your argument. Although, Vlad is short-tempered he is just as level-headed as I would be if I weren't blazing angry at my friend right now. Isn't that ingenious or what, Cat?" Spade paused to read my facial expression to check if I understood this convoluted logic.

I wasn't able to formulate how clever his idea was. I'm not going to lie. Vlad Tapesh would be a fitting candidate for this task, but it never ceases to amaze me how he manages to contemplate such brilliant ideas so rapidly.

"Is it so amazingly brilliant that it has left you speechless?" Spade remarked.

Re-focusing my gaze on him, I replied, "Actually, yes. I would have never thought of _Vlad Tapesh_! My god! How did you come up with that idea so quickly?"

His devious smirk remained on his face. "You are still a young vampire, Cat. It's a skill you learn to sharpen when you've been immortal for over two centuries. You cannot survive if you cannot think quickly on your feet. You'll learn that eventually. You gotta have an advantage against others especially your enemies."

"Even though I've known you for seven years you never cease to amaze me."

"That applies to all vampires young and old, dear. Never assume that you've got them figured out because we always have something else up our sleeves."

"I'll keep that mind. Now, I have got to call Vlad because I don't know if he is in the states or in Romania currently. Thank you for you very insightful suggestion." I slowly got up from the couch as I tried to remember where I left my cell phone.

Spade pondered for a minute. "If I recall clearly, when I met with Mencheres yesterday to discuss some Master business with him he mentioned that Vlad was in the states. He didn't explain why but Tapesh had some business with his American associates."

"Thanks, Spade! You're the best!" I dashed off the couch to find my cell phone.

As if he was telepathic, he pulled out his Blackberry and scrolled through his contact list searching for Vlad which he had jokingly put under "Dracula". Vampires had a twisted sense of humor. Vlad hated being called Dracula. Anyone who did he would set ablaze to teach them a lesson.

Tossing his Blackberry to me, he spoke in a serious tone, "You _need _to resolve this argument with Bones because you have a wedding tomorrow. Don't let that stubborn bastard stall the conversation because Crispin has mastered that skill over the years. Good luck."

The phone rang several times. Burrrinnngg...Bbburrrringgg...burrringgg. A Romanian accent replied, "Hello."

"Hi Vlad. It's me Catherine."

"Catherine, what a surprise to hear from you. How have you been? It's been awhile since I last saw you. You must be quite busy with the wedding being tomorrow."

"Yes, the wedding planning has kept me rather busy, but I'm excited for the ceremony tomorrow," I replied casually.

Spade gave me an unconvinced glance clearly knowing that I was far from excited right now. In fact, things were not peachy at all. The opposite.

"Actually, Vlad I called because I need a favor," I admitted. "Right now, I'm worried about a situation that could threaten the wedding from happening tomorrow."

"Hold on, wait, what? I don't understand what could possibility threaten the wedding from happening tomorrow."

"Well, Bones and I got into a heated argument last night for a reason I don't feel like rehashing, but long story short we aren't on good speaking terms right now. Today was supposed to be our rehearsal for the wedding, but until Bones and I resolve this argument there isn't going to be a wedding tomorrow."

"Alright. You said you needed to ask a favor of me. How can I help you? How does this favor pertain with your argument with Bones?"

"I am going to see Bones in a couple of hours, but I know that if I go by myself to see him our conversation will be counterproductive. Bones and I need to resolve this argument in a civil conversation. Instead, we will continue our argument where we left off last night. "

I'm not sure if Vlad could read my mind from a long distance, but it is as if he immediately recognized the favor I was asking of him.

"So, basically you want me to accompany you when you go to see him today?" he asked.

"Yes. Would you mind? I know you and Bones don't particularly like each other."

"I would gladly accompany you. Though may I ask why did you choose me? I find it rather fascinating choice. As you've said, Bones and I don't particularly like each other. I just want to understand how you came to decide to ask me to accompany you to see him." I knew Vlad would ask that because it is odd choice.

"First, let me start by saying I did not actually think of asking you because of the animosity between Bones and you. Although, only people that Bones doesn't have beef with are busy or rather pissed off at him like Spade. I asked him first if he would accompany me, but if both of us are angry at him, that will not resolve the argument," I began.

"Now why would Spade is pissed off at Bones? Does this have anything do with your argument with Bones?" Damn he was intuitive.

"Sort of, but that is not important why he is angry at Bones. This next part will surprise you. Guess who suggested that I ask you to accompany me instead."

Vlad didn't reply. Was he offended that I didn't ask him first? Why would he be?

"I cannot contemplate who would suggest me as being the best person to accompany you to see Bones." Apparently, my statement had not made it obvious that since Spade couldn't go, he I ask Vlad instead.

"Spade and I discussed other people who would be the best candidate to accompany me. He told me to call you."

"Me? Spade isn't dense, he knows well there is animosity between Bones and I."

"That's what I said, but he said I was looking at superficial issues not the big picture. After he explained his logic behind how you were the best candidate, I realized how brilliant his suggestion was."

"Really," Vlad asked incredulously. "Please enlighten me how I am the best candidate for this task."

It is understandable for him to ask me to explain how Spade came to this conclusion. "Well, it's rather ingenious how Spade thought it through. You cherish me as your dearest friend and not involved in any of the drama which makes you the most level-headed in this matter. Also, if Bones gets unruly you aren't afraid of setting him ablaze to a crisp. Also, with you there Bones would be forced to engage in a civil conversation not a vicious argument like last night. Damn, I was completely speechless when I came to realize the brilliance of his idea," I clarified.

Vlad chuckled. "At first, I though Spade suggested me because since Bones doesn't like me that it would re-direct his anger to me instead of you. But, that is a rather brilliant logic to choose me. Spade is damn right I wouldn't hesitate to set Bones ablaze if I feel he gets disorderly. Bones may be a Master vampire, but I've been around way longer than he has. My ability does come in rather handy doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does. So you don't mind coming along with me to see him?"

"No, not at all. I'm rather intrigued now to see Bone's reaction when he sees me accompanying you. Do you us to go there together or you want me to meet you there?"

"I want Bones to see that I'm not alone when I go to confront him. So can you get to Spade's house in forty-five minutes? I'm staying with Denise and Spade until this argument is resolved and we are on good terms."

"Actually, I can be there in twenty minutes. The hotel I'm staying at isn't too far from Spade's house. Taking a car would take much longer, so I'm going to fly over there. See you soon, Catherine."

"Fantastic! See you soon Vlad! Thank you so much for doing me this favor."

"It's no problem I hate to see you distressed. You should be happy for tomorrow not stressed that it could possibly be canceled over an petty argument. You and Bones will work out your issues and get this resolved."

"Thank you, Vlad. I owe you.

"You owe me nothing, Catherine. That's what friends are for."

I hung up the call and return the phone to Spade who had heard the entire conversation.

"So how long will it take Tapesh to get to the house?" he inquired.

"Twenty minutes," I responded. I felt a lot better knowing that Vlad was coming with me to meet with Bones. I'm fairly sure that Bones was rather pissed off after last night. That makes two. I have a feeling that Vlad's presence can make a civil conversation between Bones and I possible.

"Good. This is definitely going to be interesting," Spade remarked with an amused grin.

_~Spade~_

_Twenty Minutes Later..._

The doorbell rang. I got up to get to the door. As I was getting off the couch, I heard Denise shout from the kitchen, "I'll get it hunny."

"I can get it, Denise. I'm closer to the door than you," I said loud enough so my wife could hear me.

I continued walking towards the door and opened the door. "Hello, Vlad. Come on in Cat is expecting you. She's in the living room."

Vlad stepped inside the house and directed his gaze towards the living room. "Thank you, Spade." He sauntered to the living room.

Being a gracious host, I politely offered, "Would you like a drink?"

"A Scotch, please."

Grabbing a bottle a Scotch from my cabinet of top-quality liquors, I brought two Waterford whiskey tumblers and the bottle of Scotch with me to the living room. Cat and Vlad were having a pleasant conversation. I poured Scotch into the two tumblers: one for me and the other one for Vlad.

Vlad grabbed his glass and took a long sip of the Scotch. "I must give you kudos, Spade," he remarked.

I knew what he was referring about but I pretended I didn't know what he meant. "For what?" I replied.

"Catherine told me that you were the person who said I would be the best candidate to accompany her to see Bones. At first, I didn't understand why you would propose that, but once she explained it all made sense. You took a very unique approach to think of the best candidate for this task," Vlad explained. It is not often a Master vampire as old as Vlad compliments younger Master vampires like me. It isn't easy to impress Tapesh. He is full of surprises.

"I've learned to think quickly on my feet it is the reason I have survived for over two centuries. Unlike some, my ideas are rather unconventional and very creative."

Cat interjected, "I don't mean to interrupt your conversation, but I want to head out soon to see Bones at our house because it will take an hour to get there by car."

"Flying would be a much faster form of transportation," Vlad stated.

Cat turned her gaze to Vlad. "Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of flying I prefer driving."

"Fine. Suit yourself but you would be saving yourself a lot of time," he reiterated.

"Want me to drive you over there?" I asked Cat. "You can choose the Bentley or the Porsche."

Her face light up. "Really? I've always wanted a ride in a Bentley."

"Your wish is your desire. Just tell me when you guys want to leave."

She momentarily mused, "Well, I got to freshen up and find another outfit to look more presentable when I go to see Bones. Give me ten minutes."

"You look fine," Vlad and I said in unintentional unison. We exchanged a quick glance then turned our attention back to Cat who was laughing.

"That was hilarious. You guys facial expressions when you realized you had said that in unison. You guys are so sweet, but I got to look sexier when I see Bones. He may not say it but he loves it when I dress sexy."

Vlad and I didn't reply to that statement.

Cat grabbed her duffel bag and headed to the bathroom.

I chuckled to myself.

Vlad was confounded. "What's funny now? I don't see how Cat's statement was funny."

"If you knew Crispin's story when he was a human, then you'd see the humor in her statement."

"Well, I don't so I don't understand," he said slightly irritated.

"You can take the person out of the whorehouse, but you can't take the whore out of the person. I don't think that's self-explanatory. Some things about Bones never change"

Understanding dawned on Vlad, he cracked up with laughter. "Well-put Spade."

Cat returned from the bathroom wearing a low plunging black-halter dress that was form-fitting hugging her every curve. The black dress dramatically contrasted her pale skin. Bones had trained her well, and she knew how to use her body to her advantage. Bones was sucker for her in such sexy outfits. This must be a technique she wants to employ when she confronts Bones.

"Did you purposely change into a sexier outfit because that you trying to distract him, so he will forget how incensed he was at you?"

Slyly smirking, she said, "Well, sort of but also because he won't expect me to dress like this when I see him. It will throw him off his game. He will be at war with himself because he wants to release his pent-up anger at me, but Bones won't be able to resist me."

"You play dirty, Catherine," Vlad commented with a grin. "Yet, that strategy is absolutely brilliant. Never underestimate woman. Cat knows how to effectively use Bone's weaknesses against him."

"I do my best, Vlad. Bones once told me that you have to use a person's weakness to beat them. And I intend to win this argument. Correction, civil conversation," Cat answered grinning ear to ear.

"You're a fast-learner, Cat. You told me that I never cease to amaze you well same goes for you. You aren't the same naïve twenty-two year old I first met seven years ago."

Cat scavenged for something through her pile of bags. She dug out a pair of five-inch silver stiletto heels to complete her look. "Now I'm ready, let's do this," she said enthusiastically.

"Okay, let's go the garage. That's where the Bentley is—"

The sound of the doorbell interjected me.

"Are you expecting more company, Spade?" Cat asked baffled.

Contemplating, I don't think I was expecting any guests today. I re-checked my blackberry to assure that Mencheres hadn't changed the date of our meeting which was originally next week to today. He had been known to do that occasionally and make an impromptu visit. I was supposed to pick up Ian and Annette from the airport tomorrow only. Who could be at the door?

"Maybe it's the mailman," Denise suggested.

"Maybe," I stated cautiously. Regardless if it was someone I knew I wasn't going to drop my guard. It could be an enemy of mine or Cat and Bones. "I'll get the door wait here Cat and Vlad."

Ambling to the door, I opening the door slowly to see who it was. I was taken completely by surprise. "Blimey...I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?" I asked.

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><p><em>The day of the wedding is drawing closer...will everything go off without a hitch? <em>


	5. Chapter 5

_I know its been awhile since I last updates. Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but life got to become very hectic that I had barely any time to write let alone any freetime. There wasn't enough hours in a day...I'm sure some of you understand what I mean. Thank you for your patience and sticking with this story!_

_ I'm having a blast writing this story from POV of the main characters...i've never done style of writing in my prior fanfictions. I enjoy challenging and pushing myself as a writer I've learned it is the only way to improve as a writer. _

_Now, its officially summer I'm going to work hard to updates as soon as I can. I'm having a blast writing this story and I hope all of you are enjoying it! Up to this point in the fanfic, there is less than a day till the wedding ceremony! _

_Enjoy! I appreciate ya'll feedbacks! R&R!_

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><p>Chapter 5: Afternoon of Wedding Rehearsal Part 1<p>

_~Bones~_

Regardless of how angry I was at Cat, I didn't intentionally mean to unpleasant this morning when Charles called. He could have waited before so rudely waking me up rather early this morning. When I'm in an especially foul mood, you will get smart-ass comments from me.

After waking up around noon and taking a rigorous run through the woods near my cave, it got me thinking about my impolite and abrupt manner with Charles on the phone earlier in the morning. All that pondering made me realize that the best way to apologize for my rude behavior this morning rather than calling him or leaving a voicemail. Friends can have short-tempers and snap at each other, but Charles and I despite our arguments over the centuries hasn't affected our close-knit friendship.

Only when I was half-way to Spade's house, it dawned on me that I would see Cat there since she told me that is where she was staying till tomorrow. My pent-up rage would not be able to be repressed for too long because we would continue our argument from last night. The idea to call Charles or leave a voicemail apologizing for this morning's call was starting to become a better action plan. Oh bugger. I'm only ten minutes away from his house so it is too late to turn back on my plan now. I have got to face Cat sometime.

_~Spade~_

I wasn't sure who was at the door because I was not expecting any guests today at least not till late tonight. This made me approach the door cautiously. This unexpected visitor might be a sworn enemy of Cat and Bones. I was fully aware of this as Cat, Denise, and I have been preparing for the wedding. We have been attempting to decorate and plan this wedding while being low key about the wedding details. It doesn't strike me as ironically convenient that a sworn enemy of theirs would appear today with the wedding ceremony tomorrow.

I was prepared to counterattack if it be necessary. Guardedly opening the door, I slowly opened the door halfway. The person standing in front of me was the last person I expected to see here. "Blimey, what are _you_ doing here? I didn't expect you to come after our rather unpleasant conversation this morning."

"I forgot to call you to tell you I was dropping by. Actually, I wanted to apologize in person for my intolerable behavior and smart-ass comments from this morning. I didn't mean to go off on you but my vicious altercation with Cat last night left me pissed off. After my argument with Cat, I immediately went to Bite. I only got back to my house around 3 am."

Still recovering from my semi-shocked state of seeing Bones standing on my doorstep, it was especially surprising when Bones made such a sincere apology. His stubbornness made it very difficult to accept he was wrong. It was not often you would get such an earnest apology from him.

Clearly, Bones had yet registered that I was at a loss of words. He continued, "Anyway that is why when you called early this morning I responded so abruptly."

_~Cat~_

I sensed from Spade's surprise tone when he answered the door it must be someone we knew otherwise he would have been more hostile towards our unexpected visitor at the door. Eavesdropping on his conversation, I attempted to figure out the identity of the unexpected visitor, but the bits I heard gave no indication of who it was.

Vlad sat across from me gazing blankly into the distance showing no interest in Spade's conversation. Instead, it seemed he was lost in his thoughts. Vlad would be able to identify the unexpected guest more successfully than I would. My pitiful efforts have epically failed.

"Vlad!" I quietly said so the person at the door couldn't sense me in the room.

Blinking multiple times and returning back to reality, Vlad replied, "Yes, Catherine?"

"I'm a relatively young vampire and my super-hearing isn't quite as refined. I am not able to make out clearly from the bits and pieces of Spade's conversation. I'm not sure who is at the door. I trust your super-hearing is much better than mine."

Lightly chuckling to himself, he said, "I'm surprised you didn't pick immediately who it was. Vampires should be able to sense their loved one almost instantly especially your maker. A vampire shares a unique bond with its master who is usually their maker."

I understood what Vlad was explaining to me because Bones had described in details the inner workings of the relationship between a vampire and their maker. Although, this information is of no use in helping discover the identity of the person at the door. "Alright, I understand what you are saying, but frankly I know that already. Are you able to tell me who's at the door?"

"I am," he said cryptically with a slight smirk. "But I'm not going to spoon feed you the answer. I want you to figure it out. It is not difficult, Catherine."

Damnit! I hate how the ancient vampires who have been around for centuries can effective avoid answering questions. I do not comprehend their cryptic responses.

I tried to get Vlad's attention again but instead I was met with his blank stare. Great! This wasn't helping me! I know I should be able to recognize the person at the door since Spade's tone towards the guest is friendly. This means that I must know the visitor.

Ever since last night, I haven't been able to think clearly, so that might be why I cannot identify the visitor at the door. I need a drink.

_~Spade~_

I'm surprised Crispin hasn't asked me why I had not let him in yet. The only reason I had not let Crispin into the house was because I'm not sure he is aware Cat is sitting in my living room. The atmosphere would become very tense and awkward especially after Crispin and Cat's heated altercation last night.

It was very difficult to resist the urge to let my pent-up rage about him using compulsion on my wife bubble up to the surface. I would not let my anger get the best of me. I am a civilize Englishman.

"Are you listening to me, mate?" Crispin asked.

Shite, I was too lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize Crispin was telling me something.

"Really, Charles," he said in a slightly irritated tone. "Here I am telling you how I don't mean to such an arse and you aren't listening to a bloody word I'm saying."

"I was momentarily lost in my thoughts. I didn't intentionally mean to tune you out, Crispin."

"Anyway as I was saying, I know Kat is still pissed off at me. She will not easily accept my apology especially after what I did. Bloody hell, I didn't mean to use do what I did last night, but being left in the dark about the wedding was killing me!" Crispin continued rambling.

I know what he is talking about, but I'm not going to let him on to that fact. I liked having an advantage over him. I'm doing a pretty damn fine job at masking my rage towards him for using compulsion on my wife. Unfortunately, patience was not a virtue that Crispin always expressed sometimes. Being friends with him for over two centuries, you learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly about someone. Restraint was a skill that is acquired over time.

He was spewing so much information like a geyser. Crispin has been keeping his pent-up emotions down till it could longer be contained. It usually took a heated argument to make these pent-up emotions bubble out. While attentively listening to him, I subtly checked to see if Cat was still sitting in the living room because Crispin would begin to get suspicious of why he is still standing on my doorstep. Though right now, that doesn't seem to faze him.

It seems in the short amount of time I've been chatting with Crispin that Cat has disappeared from the living room.

"Have you seen my fiancé around? I vaguely remember her mentioning that she was going to stay with you and Denise till the day of the wedding. I want to apologize and reconcile with her because if I don't there is going to be no wedding tomorrow. I will not let that happen just over one intense quarrel."

I did know where she was, but now I have no idea where she is.

_~Cat~_

Sitting in the kitchen, I was cradling a glass of chardonnay. It couldn't find any red wine, so I settled with chardonnay. I have no idea how many glasses I've had, but all I know is that I don't feel so tense. Also, it seems I can think more clearly about other topics besides my fight with Bones.

Sometime while I was guzzling down large amounts of wine, Denise returned to the kitchen.

Standing in the doorway, Denise observed me from afar. Not sure how long she has been standing there. "Why are you drinking chardonnay? It is only the early afternoon," she said with a worried tone.

I downed the remaining contents in my glass and was about pour myself another glass, but Denise abruptly swiped the bottle of chardonnay from my hand. "I think you've had enough. Good God, Cat! You practically finished 3/4th of the bottle! Good thing that vampires have a high alcoholic tolerance. Otherwise you would be completely wasted right now."

"I don't need you lecturing me right now. Now could I please have the bottle back? First, you are not my mother. Second, you have no right to tell me what or what I cannot do because I'm a grown adult."

"I wouldn't need to be lecturing you right now if you would act responsibly. Instead of sitting here sulking in my kitchen drinking chardonnay, you should go talk to Bones. Wine is not going to make the wedding happen tomorrow. You need to make-up or there is no wedding tomorrow Cat!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I'm damn well aware of that!"

"Don't get snappy with me! To me, it does not seem that you are doing anything to fix it!" Denise exclaimed exasperated.

Just as I was about give a clever come-back, Bone's voice suddenly filled my ears. Shit, why can't I get him out of my head! It took me awhile before it registered to me that the unexpected visitor was him. I tuned out Denise and began to eavesdrop on Spade's conversation with Bones.

Springing from the chair and past Denise who was angrily flailing her arms at me, I subtly snuck past the living room and Spade who was still talking to Bones through the slightly ajar door crack. Bones was trying to acquire my whereabouts from Spade who was efficiently evading his question. Spade and Bones were dancing around the bush. I could sense from Bone's tone he was getting more annoyed as Spade continued to avoid answering his questions. Quietly, I went upstairs to my room because I had a brilliant plan! Bones seems pretty engaged in his conversation with Spade, so he might not even be aware of Vlad sitting in his friend's living room.

_Where did I leave my iPhone? My plan can only be explained over text. _

I'm sure Vlad wouldn't mind being involved in my scheme. I know Vlad could read my thoughts, but so can Bones. If I revealed the details to Vlad by relaying my thoughts to him, Bones could easily read those thoughts also. That would ruin my devious scheme. Therefore, I could only text Vlad my plans.

Me: Vlad!

Vlad: Catherine, why are you texting me? You know I'm sitting in the living room. If you want to discuss something with me, you know where to find me.

Me: I know that, but what I'm about say cannot be spoken when Bones is standing outside the door. I don't want him to eavesdrop on my scheme.

Vlad: Scheme? What are you up to now?

Me: "evil smile" I have innovatively figured out how to let Bones know I'm here and make him jealous simultaneously.

Vlad: Make him jealous?

Me: Precisely. Raging with jealously.

Vlad: I'm not sure making him jealous is the best route to reconcile with your fiancé. Just walk up to the door and talk to Bones. Are you trying to one up him and get revenge on him?

Me: Sort of. I needed to talk with you over text because if I don't want Bones trying to pry the details of this scheme from my thoughts.

Vlad: You have odd ways of reconciling with Bones. Get on with it, Cat. What is this scheme of yours?

Me: Well, it involves you. Before you say no, just listen first. I told you I purposely dressed up sexy because I wanted to throw Bones off when I met with him because he will be distracted. Therefore, I have an advantage over him because he is conflicted between his rage and desire.

Vlad: Yes I remember you telling me that. What does that have to do with this scheme of yours?

Me: I'm going to announce my presence, but not as Bones will expect. You need to pretend you were planning on taking me for a dinner as friends to help me cheer up. I'd come down the stairs and make my presence known. That's the gist of the scheme. You just got to improvise and I know you are very capable of doing that.

Vlad: Fine, I'll go along with this but I'm telling you upfront that this isn't the best way to make-up with him. Whatever you have planned I'm sure you have figured out a way to resolve this quarrel with Bones.

Me: Thanks, Vlad! You're the best! I'm going to be coming down now.

I dashed to the bathroom to refresh my make-up and fix my hair. My genius plan was going to work out. Not only would it force Bones to civilly settle our argument, but I would use his weakness (my sex appeal and jealousy) against him. I've learned how to create devious schemes by using few of his personal weaknesses again him. Sometimes, you've got to play dirty to win and gain an advantage over Bones.

Making my way slowly down the stairs, I stopped on the last step. Spade briefly paused his conversation to silently acknowledge my presence. At first, he gave me a confused glance that changed into a suspicious glance. Then, Spade returned to his conversation with Bones.

"Stubborn bastard, just tell me where Cat is," Bones impatiently demanded.

"Vlad, I'm ready," I announced loudly.

Vlad got up from his chair and sauntered towards the open foyer area.

Spade stepped aside opening the door wider just as Bones barged into the foyer area.

Bones and I exchanged intense gazes.

With an exasperated tone, Vlad exclaimed, "Took you long enough, Catherine. Why did you take so long?"

"I'm sorry, but it takes me a long time to get ready."

While listening to my banter with Vlad, Bones scrutinized me head to toe. Arching his eyebrow, Bones asked questionably, "Where do you think you are going dresses like that, kitten?"

I purposely ignored Bones.

"Women take an eternity to get ready for occasions," Vlad stated.

"My apology, Vlad," I began. "Now, where are you taking out for dinner tonight?"

Bones's scrutinizing gaze transformed into a semi-angry expression. He turned around to face Vlad. I didn't have to look at his face to know that I had triggered his jealously button. Now, I just had to keep pushing that button till he was raging with jealously. Vlad maintained his usual stance not threatened by Bones's death glare. "Why are you taking my fiancée to dinner?" he asked lividly.

Casually leaning against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest, Vlad replied, "Catherine sounded upset when she called me this morning. I didn't know why she was upset, but I do not want Cat be unhappy a day before her wedding. Just like any good friend, I offered to take her out to dinner and cheer her up."

"It doesn't look like a friend dinner date to me. Cat's outfit is rather excessively sexy to express that this is a 'friend' dinner date."

Angered by his statement, I interjected irately, "Excuse me! Don't talk about me like I'm not in the fucking room! I will damn well wear what the hell I want. You sound just like my mother! You know I don't own any conservative dresses. Also, you were the one that trained me how to dress overly sexy. "

"Correction. I trained you to dress overly sexy for when you went on missions because you had to appeal to the targets who were mostly vampires. They weren't going be salivating over you in sweatpants," Bones snapped back at me.

Still casually leaning against the wall, he interrupted, "Not that I wouldn't love to hear you girls petty bickering, but the restaurant is strict about arriving on time. If we don't hurry up, our table will be given to someone else. It will take at least thirty minutes to reach Elosin's Ristaruante."

Momentarily pausing my argument with Bones, I re-focuses my attention to Vlad and replied politely, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Vlad. Clearly, Bones is _jealou_s about me going on a dinner date with my _friend_. He is trying to stall me from going."

Bones still glared at Vlad then me angrily. "I'm not bloody jealous nor stalling you. I don't trust Vlad's motives. I find it rather unusual that Vlad should choose such an impeccable time to invite you to go on a dinner date."

Flashing Bones an incredulous glance, I responded, "You don't know Vlad well if you think that he would invite me to a friend dinner date to make an advance on me. Our relationship is strictly friends. Right Vlad?"

Rolling his eyes at Bones, he responded, "Of course, Catherine. We are just friends nothing more. No need to get your panties in a bunch, Bones."

Already pretty pissed off, Bones became more enraged at Vlad's comment. "Bloody prick!" he began but then ranted a slew of statements in another language. It must have been Romanian, because Vlad gave a hearty chuckle. Then, he spoke in a low, husky tone that sounded like he was threatening Bones. Whatever Vlad had said to Bones made his already pale face completely blanch that his skin seemed almost transparent. I had no clue what happened in that brief, intense exchange that occurred between Vlad and Bones. The enraged facial expression Bones had absolutely morphed into a terrified expression and his eye bugged. It took quite the effort t to suppress the strange urge to bust out laughing because Bones wasn't easily scared shitless. This was a perfect Kodak moment. Damn if only I had a camera with me. Bones looks like he came right out of a horror movie. This was one of those priceless moments I'll cherish.

Sauntering towards me, Vlad held out his hand to me. "Now, I think it's time we head out because if we do not leave now we will never reach the restaurant in time. And that would be a pity because I heard it was recently awarded the prestigious award of Best New Restaurant. Plus, some of my business associates have been telling me to go there for weeks now."

I gently moved past Bones who intensely stared at me as I walked away. I truly appreciated how Vlad's sharp tongue and vicious verbal attacks that could scare a Master vampire like Bones shitless. Typically, he is a decent and pleasant guy, but when you angered him Vlad would unleash his fiery wrath on you (metaphorically and literally sometimes). One person you don't want to piss off is Vlad Tapesh.

Taking Vlad's hand, we walked out the door. His red custom-made Ferrari with blazing flames embellished on the sides now sat parked outside of Spade's house. Lightly chuckling at the blazing flame design on the car, it never ceases to amaze me the sense of humor vampires have. Many people do not know that Vlad abilities include being pyrokinetic. Those blazing flames that embellished the sides of the Ferrari were rather fitting for him. "I like what you've done with the car, Vlad" I remarked through my laughter.

"Thank you, Catherine," he said smirking. "Don't you love how it totally suits me?"

"It definitely suits you, Vlad."

It began to dawn on me that this car was not here before because Vlad told me he would be arriving to Spade's house via flying. So if he flew here...how the hell did his Ferrari here? He hasn't left the house since he arrived hours ago. This does not make any sense.

Now thoroughly baffled, I gently jabbed Vlad who was now furiously typing away on his Blackberry. "How is it possible that your sports car is parked outside of Spade's house when you told me that you flew here?"

He momentarily turned his attention away from whatever he was doing. "You sure pick up on things on fast. When you were upstairs, I e-mailed my assistant to bring the car over."

"You were the one that said that flying is more convenient. Also, why did you ask for you assistant to bring your car? It's not like you actually reserved a table at restaurant. I mean right?"

"Of course I didn't make any reservation at a restaurant. Although, I have a surprise for you," he said with a cryptic smile.

When Vlad mischievously smirks, it worries me what shenanigans he is up to. "A surprise? What kind of surprise?" I inquired in a slightly nervous tone.

"Oh, silly girl. If I tell you what it is, then it wouldn't be a surprise would it? Don't worry we are taking a little road trip to visit a friend of yours that you haven't seen in a while," he answered vaguely. Damn it he knows how to efficiently evade my question.

He may be an ancient Master vampire, but I can be rather persistent when I want an answer to something. "I don't understand what you are saying. A friend of mine that I haven't seen in a while? Who exactly would that be? Please elaborate. You know I don't like people surprising me!"

"I am well aware of that, Catherine. Sometimes, you have got to let go and go with the flow. No need to fret you will be safe with me. Do you trust me?" he asked.

I have trust issues, but I completely trusted Vlad. He would not intentionally put me in harm's way or betray my trust. He was loyal and trustworthy friend. "Yes, I trust you. Honestly, I could use a road trip right now."

Holding the passenger door open for me, Vlad said, "Great. Now let's go I want to beat the traffic."

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><p><em>Wow, what craziness! Will Cat and Bones resolve their argument? Will there even be a wedding? Stay tuned for the next chapters! <em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Hope all of you are having a great summer! After this weekend, I'm not sure how much time I will have to write...but I will do my best to update the next chapters as soon as possible! _

_I appreciate ya'll support for this story! Also, thank you for you patience! I am currently working on TWO fanfictions...An Unforgettable Day (Night Huntress fanfic) and Happily Ever After (City Hunter fanfic). It's a bit chaotic working on two fanfictions at the same time, but I am actively working on finding time to write which can be tricky. Lately, life has been very busy and will be for the next month or so. So please be patient with me...I will diligently try to update as soon as I can!  
><em>

_I hope ya'll are enjoying this story! I'd love to get your feedback! Enjoy! R&R!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Afternoon of Wedding Rehearsal Part 2<strong>

I slid into the passenger seat. The interior of the custom-made Ferrari was so exquisite that it left me speechless. Vampires could spend excessive amounts of money and never worry about becoming broke. Soft, black leather lined the interior of the car. The main sound system was extremely tricked out that I had never seen anything like it. To top it off, the steering wheel was fucking 24 carat _pure_ gold! My god! I though the outside was impressive, the interior was the most impressive of the Ferrari!

As I was being awed by the extravagant luxury of the interior, Vlad had started the car. I should have felt the car starting up and moving, but for some odd reason I couldn't. Looking out of the tinted windows, it immediately struck me that we were not on the road. Instead, the Ferrari was flying in mid-air! I though such cars only existed in Star Wars or Batman!

"Vlad!" I exclaimed. "This might sound crazy, but are we flying?"

His hands were not even on the steering wheel, and it appeared that there was it had a touchscreen mechanism on it. This was insane!

Vlad flashed another cryptic smile at me. "Indeed, we are flying," he responded in his usual, casual tone. It was as if he did this often.

"WHAT? How the hell are we flying? Cars cannot fly! Flying cars only exist in science-fiction!"

"Don't be stupid. Nothing is impossible. With all the technological advances in the recent years, it is not impossible to make cars fly. I've been working on this flying mechanism for years and tested it a year and half ago. Everything worked out exactly like I wanted it to. This is the benefit of extravagant wealth."

Ohmigod! "You do realize you can make a shit load of profit on this concept! I never thought that cars could _actually_ fly!"

Sighing, "I did not do this, so I could patent and make profit from it. No wander humans are so greedy. Whenever the latest and greatest invention is made, all they can think about is the wealth it will bring 'em. Sometimes people make advancements or inventions and want to keep them to themselves. You must swear to me that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone. I don't want this secret being leaked to others. This is a secret between you and me. You understand?"

Bah, I didn't want to keep such a mind-blowing thing a secret, but Vlad had his reason and I'll respect them. "Yes, I understand. It will be our little secret."

"Good, I knew you could keep this a secret."

"I have another question, Vlad."

Giggling under his breathe, "You are full of questions today, Catherine. Sure anything."

"Bones is a badass Master vampire who is not easily scared or frightened. I have no idea what you said to him, but whatever it was scared him shitless. What exactly did you tell Bones?"

"You don't need to know the details of our little chat. All I can tell you is that I gave that bastard something to seriously consider and contemplate about," he explained all the while grinning deviously. I changed my mind that maybe I didn't want to know he said to Bones. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. Vlad can be very scary.

"Sounds good. I'm sorry I constantly badgering you with question, but I swear this is the last one. I'll shut up after this. I know you won't reveal who we are visiting. Please can you at least tell me where we are going?" When people surprise me, I had no control of the outcome which scared me the most. I was a control freak.

"Afraid I cannot tell you that either, Catherine. Let me apologize ahead of time for what I'm about to do. I want you to be surprised," he said.

Vlad was being rather mysterious not even giving me the slightest hint of what this surprise was. "Fine, I will play along with this plan of yours because you assisted me in executing my devious scheme. Don't apologize you haven't done anything—"

Before I could process what he mean by his apology, Vlad knocked me out cold. Son of a bitch! My entire world became black.

_~Bones~_

"Did you hear what that smug bastard said to me?" I seethed lividly. "He had the bloody nerve to not only dare take out Cat on a 'friend' dinner date, but also threatening to expose one of my deep dark secrets! How does he even know about that incident that happened nearly 150 years ago! Tapesh cannot be trusted because all his chivalrous actions have ulterior motives. How can Cat consider that sly bastard her loyal and trustworthy friend?"

Sighing, Charles rolled his eyes at me. "What you need to do is calm down because you are not going to solve anything with all this rage."

Unbelievable. How can be act so nonchalant after what Vlad had said to me? Charles could speak Romanian fluently, so he was able to comprehend what Vlad said.

"I refuse to calm down because I don't trust Vlad Tapesh!" I reiterated.

"Oh shut up. You are giving me a headache with your incensed harangue. I don't give a shit about whatever the hell you think of Vlad Tapesh! He has proved his loyalty and trust to us. If Cat wants to be his friend, then respect her decision," he said exasperatedly.

Charles is very blunt when he is infuriated. He was known to be possess the virtue of patience, but there have only been a few times that he has told me off like this.

"There are more important issues that need to be addressed. First and foremost, you need to figure out how you plan on reconciling with Cat over this quarrel you guys had last night. You say you realize the importance of addressing this but I haven't hear a single plan of how you are going to accomplish this. Don't feed me bullshit, Crispin."

Now, Charles is a my best mate after all we have been through for more than two centuries, but there are times like these I wanted to punch him. "I damn well know that. Although, it is easier said than done. I need some time to think of an effective plan that I can execute." Being a Master vampire, it required that you were able to think quickly on your feet, but something like this wasn't that simple to come up with. He wasn't in this complicated mess I was dealing with. I will think of an ingenious plan, but I just need some more time. Although, I realize time is running out fast.

As I was about to speak, Charles began, "Well, it seems that I've knocked some sense into you. Now, I will leave you to figure out on how to solve this dilemma. Tell me what you come up with. Feel free to stay here if you want, but I've got to attend some business in my office. Good luck, mate."

Before I could reply, he had turned his back and began walking away from me. I wasn't going to inconvenience my friend, so I escorted myself out of his house. Getting into my car, I drove away from the house and back to house Cat and I were temporarily renting.

_~Cat_

I have no idea how long I've been out cold, but we sure as hell weren't in Ohio anymore. Vlad's punch was pretty powerful so I cannot determine the time that lapsed that I was unconscious. That bastard! Although, I last recall Vlad mentioning he had a surprise to me, but being rather evasion on even the slightest hint of the surprise.

I didn't want to immediately alert whoever may be in the room with me I was slowly gaining conscious. Subtly, I moved my body, legs, and arms. On the bright side, it seems I was able to freely move my body, legs, and arms. I wasn't being held hostage or bound by chains. The situation was looking better. Taking in a huge waft of my current environment, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact scent, but it was a mix of conflicting scents combined. Damp. Sterile. With a hint of perfume. Vlad told me were visiting a friend I hadn't seen in a while. The subtle perfume scent radiating through the air hinted this friend was a woman. I was not able to identity what type of perfume it was, so it makes it trickier to figure out who it was. Women each have unique perfume scents. I'm quickly learning the benefits of being a full vampire and one of them being all of your senses are acutely heightened. Using my amplified hearing, it would help me to listen to identify how many individuals were in the nearby and what kind of environment I was in.

"Good job, Vlad," said a woman quietly.

It makes me feel so much better to know Vlad is here. At least, I know at least one person.

It was difficult to make out much of the conversation between Vlad and the mystery woman. Unfortunately, I was able to make out bits and pieces of their exchange. I was still regaining my consciousness, so my thoughts and abilities weren't as sharp as they typically are. That made eavesdropping a little bit more problematic

"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty."

"Ugh, you know I hate it when you call me that. You are one of the few people who can call me by my first name because of our relationship over the centuries. Otherwise, everyone else must refer to me as 'Your Majesty'. Also, your age in immorality trumps mine by a long shot. Sometimes, I feel it's impolite how you want me to casually call you 'Vlad', not Mr. Tapesh," the woman replied with a hint of annoyance in her tone of voice.

Clearly, this woman was someone with power and a strong sense of respect for others.

Lightly chuckling, "You crack me up. As a Master Vampire of my own line, I require that unless I have a personal relationship with the people under my line only then can they call me ' '. That goes same for my business associates. There are few people I care about or work with on a daily basis, so they're the only ones who refer to me casually as 'Vlad'."

I could immediately pick up that Vlad and this mystery woman had some personal relationship whether they are friends or business associates. Damnit, my thoughts were still muddled. By now I should be fine, but things were still fuzzy.

The woman gave a hearty laugh. "You're kidding me? I don't believe you."

"It quite true. According to her, he suggested that she call me to accompany her to confront someone she is in a heated argument with." Could he referring to me? Vlad isn't using explicit names as pronouns, so it difficult to tell.

"I believe I underestimated how brilliant he was on thinking quick on his feet. That would explain why he such an efficient Master Vampire."

I'm pretty damn sure they are referring to Spade and me. Vlad seems to have an open relationship with this mysterious woman.

"I knew he was feisty and had a sharp-tongue, but this was unbelievable. Absolutely no sense of respect to someone more than twice his age in immortality! Can you believe the nerve that bastard had to say such insulting and rude things to me! Well, I gave him a taste of his own medicine," he stated with a hint of shock in his voice.

The woman muttered something in a foreign language to Vlad. He responded back to her in the same language. It didn't sound like Romanian. I'm not good with identifying languages. One thing on my to-do list: be multilingual. I had all the time in the world. Time wasn't an issue. I'm sure it will come in handy when interacting with other vampires especially Master vampires.

"You really gave him a run for his money, Vlad! Didn't think you had such ruthlessness in you. You never cease to amaze me" she exclaimed shocked. "How did you learn about that deep, dark secret of his? He doesn't open to many people. He only reveals such deep, dark secrets to close friends. If anyone else found out about that, it would ruin his image that he had built over two centuries." Who is the 'he' they are referring to? They could be referring to Bones, but I'm not sure.

"His grand-sire and I go way back. I happen to come across this goldmine by accidently probing his mind. He was rather reckless as newborn vampire, so it wasn't that difficult to pry information out of his mind," he said proudly. "If you know what I mean."

The woman said something in the same foreign language. Still not positively, but it was starting to sound more and more of a reference to Bones.

"Oh, I forgot you and his grand-sire went way back. He would do anything to keep that hidden and buried. Well that happened because of his sketchy...," the woman began but trailed off. "It seems our guest has awoken."

Damnit! She trailed off on such a cliff hanger! I'm partially sure that they're talking about Bones. Although, I'm curious how they seem to know of this deep, dark secret. The woman must have some mutual relationship with my fiancé. I began to contemplate if this mysterious woman was Annette because she knew Bones well. But it doesn't make sense that Annette and Vlad would have such an open relationship. Also, why would Vlad refer to her as 'Your Majesty' unless it is an inside joke between them? Nothing is adding up! This is infuriating!

I contemplated if I pretend to have momentarily been aroused then feign passing out because I've done this more than enough to master this trick. Knowing my audience, Vlad would sure as hell know I was faking the entire thing and this mysterious woman seemed sharp. So many conflicting thoughts flooded me. Part of me wanted to see the identity of this mystery woman that Vlad was having an active conversation with. He told me we were seeing a friend I haven't seen in a while but I cannot contemplate who he was implying. I didn't have many friends but the very few close friends I have were Denise, Vlad, and Spade. It doesn't make sense that Denise would be want to meet me in such a place as this. Vlad is aware that Annette and I were nowhere near acquaintances, but after dealing with whole Patra situation we've come to understand and tolerate each other much better. Based on the bits and pieces of the Vlad's conversation with this woman, I couldn't deduce the identity of the woman, but it sure would make more sense if it was Annette. So much confusion it's starting to give me a splitting migraine.

Trying move subtly but still appear unconscious, I was not sure Vlad nor the woman would believe my act. Although, it was damn well worth making my best effort to pull this off. It seemed to believable act thus far. Suddenly without any warning, my stomach growled violently. Damn, I tried to stifle my anger because that just gave me away that I wasn't unconscious. I truly attempted to suppress my anger, but it didn't quite work out too well.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed irritably. Just perfect that _now_ my stomach decides to tell me it needs fucking food! What perfect timing!

Vlad burst out in laughter as the woman joined in. He commented, "Catherine, I am a Master vampire. Did you really think I bought that amateur act of yours right now? I've learned how to effectively and accurately detect when someone is feigning or pretending. I have very sharp and heightened senses compared to you a young newborn vampire. I knew immediately when you were awake which was some time ago. "

Why do I even try to outsmart vampires that are far more older than me in terms of immortal years? Deeping sighing and not wanting to instantly blind myself, I slowly opened eyelids because I don't know if the room is brightly lit. Thankfully, the room was dimly lit which was simultaneously comforting and unsettling. The walls were dull grey and bare without any decor. Plush red carpet covered the entirely of the room which was surrounded by four walls. There was no indication that any visible windows in the room. Why the hell did Vlad bring me _here_ to meet this mysterious woman who I apparently knew?

Still soaking in my surrounding, I had not bothered to glance in the direction of Vlad or the mystery women yet. It did not comfort me at all that Vlad did not give me a better hint of who the woman would be. This is why Vlad annoyed me sometimes especially when he conceals information that would be rather helpful to me.

Taking a deep breathe, I was ready for the moment of truth as I now reveal who this mystery woman was. I slowly stretched my body which had been feeling cramped being in the same position for hours. Simultaneously I was intrigued yet nervous to see who this mysterious woman who Vlad claims is my "friend" that I haven't seen in ages. Regardless, I had to know!

I turned around to face Vlad and the mysterious lady. The person that turned out to be my "friend" was not someone I would have expected Vlad to have some any relationship with. To my surprise, the "friend" that Vlad referred to was the Queen Marie, who was the powerful voodoo ghoul queen of New Orleans. Now I no longer felt at ease because I don't why I was standing in front of Queen Marie. Usually if you were in my situation that implies that you were summoned to see Her Majesty. The most disconcerting part of this all isn't the part of being summoned by Queen Marie. Instead it is how friendly Vlad and Her Majesty were when I eavesdropped on their conversation earlier.

Queen Marie and I weren't on as friendly terms like Vlad and her, so I always respected her high authoritative position by calling her either Queen Marie or Your Majesty. "Hello, Your Majesty," I said and elegantly bowed before her.

"No need for the formalities, Catherine. You don't have to address me with such a formal address. I insist you call me Marie," the Queen said in her usual firm and authoritative tone.

Nervously laughing under my breath, I didn't feel quite comfortable calling her so informally. Her sheer aura screams of authority and power. Even with Vlad nearby, it wasn't helping me feel less uncomfortable. "Of course, Your Majesty..." I stuttered but then realized immediately that I had to correct my statement. "I meant to say of course, Marie."

Queen Marie sat on her velvet upholstery throne with dark mahogany wood panels along the edges. These wooden panels had intricate and beautiful designs carved into them. Her throne was on top of a small platform made of custom-ordered black marble from Italy.

Awkward, tense silence hung in the air for several minutes. Vlad and Marie didn't seem to feel awkward or tense at all from their casual and relaxed sitting positions. Based off the glances Vlad and Marie were exchanging between themselves, it looked as if they were telepathically having a conversation. I don't doubt that Marie could possess telepathy, but I never considered that she could telepathically communicate with vampires. I thought if a ghoul possessed the ability of telepathy that they would only be able to telepathically communicate with other ghouls not also other type of supernatural beings like vampires.

Shifting slightly to sit straighter, Queen Marie asked, "I'm sure you are wandering why I summoned you, Cat?"

"Actually I would like to know, Your Majesty...Marie," I replied trying not to hint at my slightly annoyed state.

Queen Marie chuckled lightly under her breath, she stated, "I guess it will take you awhile to comfortably address me informally. I summoned you here...no wait that sounds too formal. I called my friend, Vlad, last night telling him that I'd received your wedding invitation and was so touched that you would invite me. Although, I'm unable to attend you wedding festivities tomorrow because I have some business I got to deal with. Since I cannot attend your wedding festivities, I wanted to informally invite you here and privately talk with you. Several hours ago, Vlad e-mailed me that he could get you to New Orleans sometime today. That's why I called not summoned you."

Her reason sounds valid. "Bones and I wanted have low-key, private wedding ceremony and reception, so we don't draw attention from our supernatural enemies who would find any way to sabotage our special day. They would take any advantage to eliminate us. You have been of great help to Bones and I when we needed your assistance. I am thankful that we have you as our ally. I'm sorry to hear you cannot attend, but I understand you are very busy woman."

"If I didn't have to deal with that problem, I would have loved to be there to celebrate your special day with you. I cannot disclose details of the situation I have to attend to, but if I do not resolve this problem now it will only get worse," she explained. "Vlad could you kindly give Cat and I few moments alone. You can wait in the backroom and if you need anything just beckon my assistant. He will gladly be willing to attend to the needs my honored guests."

Vampires are known to be beautiful and elegant beings even when fighting. Even though Vlad was an ancient Master vampire, you couldn't help but be momentarily blinded by his elegant beauty. If I told myself seven years ago that my life would involve constant interaction with supernatural beings and feeling a sense of belonging among them rather than human beings I would have laughed at you. It is intriguing how your life can change. I feel at home when I'm around my supernatural friends and loved ones.

Vlad exited the throne room heading into the backroom as the door slammed behind him. Motioning towards the couch with similar upholstery to her throne chair, Queen Marie insisted, "Take a seat, Cat. Relax and sit back. I just want to have a casual, private conversation with you. "

"Okay." I sat on the comfortable plush velvet couch and attempted to relax. It was easier said than done. Even though, Marie insisted that I relax and do not feel tense I cannot help it because of her powerful aura that she projects.

"It's funny how ironic life is. I bet you never imagined that you would be heavily associated with vampires seven years ago when you aggressively sought to eradicate their evil existence. You sure have matured in seven years. When I first met you, you were a naïve, newbie vampire hunter who just wanted to eliminate the entire race of vampires. Honestly, I didn't think that you would have lasted this long in the underworld of supernatural beings. Your experiences in the underworld these past seven years have put things into perspective. Now, I think that being around supernatural beings has shown you though we can be cruel and evil at times, we take care of the people associated to our lines. You have certainly grown these past seven years. It has been interesting seeing you progress through the years."

"Thank you, Marie. I also believe that I've grown and matured these past seven years. On top of that, it is sheer irony it was because of Bones who forced me to see that not all vampires and supernatural beings were evil and ruthless bastards. Actually, I've learned how sometimes human beings are more ruthless and cruel, but also lack the sense of loyalty of taking care of people associated to them or under their protection. Seven years ago, Bones made me realize that I could remove myself from the world of vampires, but couldn't escape the half-vampire blood flowing through my veins. I embraced my vampire bloodline and used it to my advantage when I hunted down supernatural beings that were corrupt."

Marie commented thoughtfully, "It is truly unbelievable how even the most stubborn people can be transformed. Bones had done some covert missions for me and he always seemed to be heartless and cold. That's why he made one hell of a vampire assassin. It was truly unusual for a vampire to hunt his own kind, but I'm sure Bones had his reasons. He proved to be a very resourceful asset the few times I needed him. It was surprising to see him transform from a cold, heartless bastard to someone who was capable of falling in love. Everyone knows Bones human professions and how he wasn't known to have meaningful or lasting relationships with women. That all changed when he met you. Despite all of difficulties and loss you two have faced over the years, your love never faded in fact I think it became stronger. I'm wonderful seeing how both of you transformed these past seven years."

I just stared at her unable to fathom how she knew all that information. It was kind of creepy. My curiosity usually got the best of me. "I have question. Uh, how do you all that information about Bones and me?" I inquired. "I barely knew anything about you, but somehow you know a shitload about me and my relationship with Bones."

Flashing me a cryptic smile, Queen Marie responded slyly, "I have my eyes and ears. That's all you need to know, Cat."

While I really wanted know how she knew, I simultaneously felt it was better I didn't know exactly how she knew. Sometimes ignorance was bliss. Ancient supernatural beings know how to make such cryptic comments that pique your curiosity but also make you shudder at the same time.

"I've enjoyed this lovely chat of ours, but I've got some business I need to attend to," Marie declared. "Before you leave, I have wedding gift for you. I felt bad that I cannot attend your wedding festivities, so I wanted to give you a gift."

"Oh you didn't have to but thank you, Marie..." I said but was Marie interrupted me. It seemed that Marie had more to say.

"Vlad you can come back now. Cat and I have finished our private conversation. There is a white silky gift box in the backroom. Could you kindly bring that with you as you return?"

"Of course, Marie," Vlad replied in his usual debonair tone. Walking back into the throne room, Vlad plopped himself down on the couch next to me. He handed me the gift box that was wrapped with pure white silk. "Here you, Catherine."

"Thank you, Your Majesty...I mean Marie. Damn it's not easy for me to informally address you."

Queen Marie and Vlad burst out into laughter. "I guess old habits die hard. You are so used to formally addressing me as Queen Marie or Your Majesty," Marie remarked between her laughs.

Vlad said, "We should be on our way, Catherine. We understand you are very busy and thank you for entertaining us, Marie."

"Vlad. Cat. Hold on. In addition to my gift, I have booked a reservation for you and six guests at the Voodoo Barbeque, the best barbeque restaurant in New Orleans. Catherine, I give permission for you and your guests to be in New Orleans as my honorable guests."

Voodoo Barbeque. How fitting it was for Queen Marie when she was known for being skilled in voodoo. It never ceases to amuse me the humor that supernatural beings have. "I cannot accept that. You've always spoiled me with his wedding gift and being personally beckoned to your throne room..." I began but trailed off.

"Oh nonsense, Cat. I _insist_ that you accept my offer. You and Bones have been very useful to me and this is my way of saying thank you for all the times you've helped me," Marie explained.

I guess I cannot deny the offer if the she puts it that way. Although, I'm not sure why she is being overly nice to me. It is kind of disconcerting.

"Of course I will accept your offer. Thank you for fitting us into your schedule. We will be on our way now," I answered.

Vlad and I walked out of the throne room. Queen Marie's henchmen guided us through the complex sewage underground pathway. They dropped us off at the cemetery which is the point of entry and exit from the Queen's underground lair.

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><p><em>Wow...well that was sure interesting to say the least. It was fun writing the character Queen Marie even though we don't know as much information or her backstory like the other main characters in the Night Huntress Series! <em>

_There's so much crazyiness occuring as we are rapidly approaching the day of the wedding ceremony. Up to this point in the fanfiction, there is less than 5 hours left til the wedding ceremony! Time is running out fast! How will Cat and Bones reconcile? Stay tune and find out in the next chapter! _


	7. Chapter 7

_I am aware it's been awhile since I last updated this story...but I've been so busy with my classes. It is very difficult to find whatever little free time I have to work on my **three** active fan fiction stories! Thank you for being patient and sticking with my story! _

_Hope ya'll enjoy the latest chapter of An Unforgettable Day! I do my best to update the next chapters as soon as possible but with final exams coming up soon I cannot guarantee that I will be able to publish the next chapter until after mid-December. _

_Enjoy! I'd love to hear your feedback! R&R!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Evening of the Wedding Rehearsal Part 1<strong>

_~Cat~_

Vlad escorted me back to his Ferrari sitting beside the street across from the cemetery. The walk back to the car was silent not because of awkwardness between us but instead we were cautious of our surroundings. You never know who whether it be a human or supernatural being could be lurking around here. Holding the passenger door open for me like the gentlemen he was, I slid onto the soft leather seat. Vlad got into the driver seat. Before he started the car, Vlad took several glances out the window to survey the surrounding to guarantee that no one was following us. Nowadays we had to be very careful that none of my enemies knew about my whereabouts which is why I've stayed low-key while planning for the wedding.

"Coast is clear," he said in a low tone that only I could hear. Vampires had impeccable hearing skills that they could hear even the smallest of sounds. Vlad started the engine up and without a moment of delay the Ferrari speed away from the cemetery.

"So...," I began not quite sure where to start because I had many things I needed answers to that Vlad failed to provide prior to our little trip. "When you said I was going to visit a friend I hadn't seen in while, I did not ever expect that you'd mean Queen Marie. Also, I was not aware that you and the Queen were friends."

Lightly chuckling under his breath, Vlad replied casually while keeping an eye on the GPS besides the steering wheel, "Oh Catherine. My relationship with Marie goes _way_ back even before Bones was born. I'm sure you were shocked that Marie has close relationships with people besides her business associates. She called me a few days back to bring you to New Orleans today because she wanted to have a private conversation with you. I was not informed of any details of the reason for your summon today, but when Marie tells you an order you obey without questions. Also, Marie told me that you had a unique relationship that was not entirely always related to business. She said you guys were 'semi-friends'."

"I can understand that you had no option but to obey her order, but there were two things that I found unnecessary. First, it was completely unnecessary to knock me out cold. My face is still slightly throbbing from your powerful punch. Second, you could have just bloody told me that Queen Marie has summoned me from the beginning instead of all the mystery shrouded around this impromptu trip. Either way I wouldn't have resisted and felt less anxious of where we were going."

Shifting his glance from the GPS screen to look me straight in the face, it was slightly unnerving as his copper colored and ringed emerald pupils pierced me. "I will apologize for knocking you out cold. You are unpredictable so I couldn't risk you showing any resistance. Marie specifically told me not to tell you to not mention the reason I was bringing you here. That is why I could not give you even a slight hint of the final destination of our road trip. I hope you are not still angry with me, Catherine."

I answered candidly, "I _was_ angry at you initially, but then I soon realized that you wouldn't have done that for no reason. I understand your reason for knocking me out cold since I can unpredictable sometimes. Now that you've explained why you didn't drop any inkling of the final destination I cannot be angry with you anymore. You were just following Queen Marie's orders."

Flashing a blindingly bright smile at me, "I appreciate you understanding things from my perspective," Vlad said. "Now, I've got to get you to Voodoo Barbeque in three hours. The food there is exquisite. You will absolutely love it!"

Now we had sorted that issue out, but there is one thing left to deal with. "I'm sure it doesn't take that long to get to the restaurant because Marie mentioned it was in New Orleans. There is one slight dilemma though...," I started to explain but Vlad interjected abruptly.

"You don't have anything to wear for dinner tonight is that right?" Vlad finished my sentence.

I nodded my head. "I'm pretty sure the restaurant will not let me in wearing a plunging V-neck halter top and grey denim mini-skirt."

"I already made a note of that while I was waiting in the back room behind the throne room. When Marie and you were having your private conversation, I called up a business associate of mine who is the owner of The Voluptuous Vixen. It is one of the popular boutique shops here in New Orleans. She will be personally assisting you today in choosing a gorgeous dress for this evening's dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque."

Wow...Vlad was prepared for anything that came his way. Even without me mentioning my dilemma of lack of proper evening wear for tonight's dinner reservation, he had arranged for an appointment for me to pick out my evening wear dress. "Thank you so much, Vlad! You thought of it before I even mentioned it. You are such a great friend to me! I don't know what I'd do without you!" I exclaimed exuberantly.

Vlad typed something quickly into the GPS. "I scheduled the shopping appointment which is in ten minutes, so I've got to hurry to The Voluptuous Vixen boutique. You should have more than enough time to select something to wear tonight."

The Ferrari came to a halt and spun around in a 360 degree circle then the car speed in the opposite direction from where it came from.

Voluptuous Vixen Boutique had a quaint yet sophisticated and elegant décor that made it unique. Many of the boutiques I've visited have never had such a grandeur décor inside. Immediately when I entered Voluptuous Vixen Boutique, I felt I had gone back in time to an olden European boutique where socialite woman shopped for their special occasion gowns. Vlad escorted me to a burgundy red couch in the middle of the shop.

"Just wait for a few minutes, I inform that saleswoman at the counter that Rosalie's appointment has arrived," Vlad said.

While I waited, I did a more thorough examination of the boutique and was amaze how impeccably detail-oriented the entire décor was so it didn't contain too many modern designs in its décor. There were a few other customers browsing through the racks of gowns, but the ladies looked like they came from affluent backgrounds judging by the appearance and clothing. This boutique seemed to target their formal gowns to woman who came from wealthy backgrounds. No ordinary woman could purchase their dresses since the items sold here were exorbitantly expensive. Voluptuous Vixen Boutique catered their items to an exclusive group of customers.

I was completely unaware of my surroundings since I'd gotten lost in my own thoughts. I was suddenly started when I heard a woman's voice right next to me out of nowhere. "Sorry to keep you waiting Ms. Crawfield. Mr. Tepesh notified me earlier that you are in need a formal evening gown for tonight."

Flashing a friendly smile to hide the fact that I was startled, I replied, "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to assist me. Tonight I'm having dinner at Voodoo Barbeque tonight with my fiancée and I forgot to pack with me a formal occasion dress."

The woman's eyes light up at the mention of Voodoo Barbeque. "Voodoo Barbeque?! You are so damn lucky you were able to get a reservation there! It's nearly impossible to get a reservation there unless you have top-notch connections. My boyfriend put our names down for a reservation three months ago and we still haven't heard back yet. Vlad didn't specify what kind of evening wear gown you were looking for, but now that you mentioned that I have many ideas of evening gowns that will solve your problem. Voodoo Barbeque requires very formal evening wear gowns otherwise they will not allow you in regardless if you booked a reservation. Wow...oh my how rude of me. I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Rosalie Dauning and the owner of Voluptuous Vixen Boutique." Rosalie walked towards formal evening gown dresses and intensely shuffled through the racks of dresses to find the right dress.

Vlad took a seat next to me and was typing away on his Blackberry. Regardless of men were mortals or immortals, they didn't find women dress shopping entertaining rather they found it boring because there was nothing for them to do. "I'm not bored by dress shopping, Catherine. My business associate sent me an update on some business affairs occurring that requires me to reply his e-mail a.s.a.p."

What the hell?! Vlad just read my mind. I'm aware that Vlad has telepathic abilities; he usually doesn't use them on me. Although Vlad has his moments when he will randomly decide to read my mind when I least expect it. It startles the living shit out of me! Vlad will usually tune out human and vampire mental thoughts around those he feels comfortable around, but he will use it if information needs to be extracted from an enemy who refused to talk.

"Vlad! I told you do not suddenly scare the shit out of me by randomly reading my thoughts when I least expect it!" I reprimanded him firmly but kept my voice down so others wouldn't hear me.

Vlad chuckled lightly under his breathe, he replied, "Yet it is still sure is fun for _me_ to suddenly startle you when you least expect it. It never ceases amaze me to see the variety of reactions you make."

"Bastard," I muttered under my breath. I've come to learn many things from being deeply involved in the vampire world for as many years as I have. One of them is that the older the vampire is the more screwed up their sense of humor is. There were perks and disadvantages of being deeply involved in the vampire world.

Vlad light chuckling turned into a hearty laughter. I bet he was probably laughing hysterically at the seething swears that was directed at him. My grey eyes were now slightly emerald green. I shot him a searing glare, but I'm pretty damn sure it had not the slightest effect on Vlad.

Rosalie returned back with three or four dresses draped on one of her pale, slender arms. From the looks of the evening gowns she was carrying, the stack of dresses looked pretty heavy. A mere human woman's arm wouldn't be able to endure that much weight, so Rosalie must be some type of supernatural being. "I have found some wonderful evening dresses that will absolutely stun your fiancée! Just follow me to the dressing room."

As instructed, I followed behind her to the dressing room area situated in the back of the boutique. Rosalie hung up each dress carefully on the hooks in the dressing room. "I'm just outside if you any assistance with some of the dresses."

Two of the three evening gowns Rosalie selected were full length dresses, but one of the gowns looked like a cocktail evening gown. Just from examining these three evening dresses I got a feel for the type of dress code that was required at Voodoo Barbeque. Rosalie mentioned how you had to have "top-notch" connections to get a coveted dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque. These "top-notch" connections were probably powerful supernatural beings like ghouls or vampires. I bet that Voodoo Barbeque is a popular eatery hotspot that mostly catered to supernatural beings more so than humans. Now I was rather curious and intrigued to see what this Voodoo Barbeque restaurant was like and if my assumptions are correct.

I took the first dress out of its garment bag and was amazed at its simple, elegant yet sexy design. The first gown was a Herve Leger evening gown. Walking to mirror, I examined myself with scrutiny. The dress was solid black with a sexy cut-out bodice that exposed skin in my upper abdominal region with a sheer, pleated crepe skirt that fell to my feet. The top-half of the black dress was a plunging V-neck line. This gown hugged all my curves and accentuated my cleavage. This soft black dress made my pale skin and red hair stand out more than usual. This was a beautiful even gown, but it was just too simple. I needed a dress that would absolutely stun Bones that he would be so conflicted between his anger towards me and his desire to rip the dress off of me. Before saying no to this gown, I'd get input from Vlad, who was sitting on the suede couch in the waiting area.

Cautiously approaching the waiting area couch, I held the skirt delicately a couple inches from the ground so I wouldn't step on it. "So whatcha think about this dress?"

Vlad turned his attention from his Blackberry to examine me from head to toe. His facial expression was unreadable so I wasn't sure if he loved or hated the dress. "It's beautiful, Catherine. Although, there's nothing that particularly outstanding about this dress," he said bluntly.

Vlad was aware of how I was searching for a dress that would make Bone's blood boil with desire and this dress wouldn't accomplish that. "That's exactly what I thought! It just doesn't have that "wow" factor I'm looking for. I'm going to try the next gown on and I'll get you input."

I returned back to the dressing room and Rosalie helped me get out of the dress. The second dress was another floor-length evening gown. The second gown was a Monique Lhuillier evening gown. This red and black printed chiffon dress was a strapless with a low-cut sweetheart neckline. The bodice was ruched with a flowly, A-line skirt with a high slit to the thigh. The skirt fell to the ground in a pool around my feet. This dress fit perfectly with my nickname, "Red Reaper". My flaming red hair complimented the red and black printed chiffon material of this evening gown. The tight bodice made my waist slightly smaller and accentuated my bust area making my cleavage more emphasized. The dress complimented my average height making me appear slighter taller and made my legs look longer. This evening gown dress definitely fit the criterion I was looking for in an evening gown for tonight's dinner.

I re-approached the waiting area couch wearing the second evening dress selection. Vlad re-focused his gaze in my direction. Vlad began to open his mouth to give input but was rendered speechless. His eyes widened in awe. When I tried to get his reaction about the first evening gown, Vlad's expression was incomprehensible. His wide-eyed stare told me his opinion about this dress. When he found the ability to formulate words, Vlad responded, "This one is absolutely gorgeous on you. I gotta say this gown perfectly fits with your fiery personality and your nickname. This dress is definitely what _you_ were looking for."

"I'm going to seriously consider this gown. There's one more evening gown left for me to try on before I make my decision of which formal evening gown dress to buy."

I returned back to the dressing room and Rosalie helped me get out of the dress. The last dress was a cocktail formal evening gown. The third gown was an Emilio Pucci evening gown. The teal blue lace dress was an off-the-shoulder style with long semi-sheer sleeves that was formfitting hugging the curves of my body. This was the shortest of the three dresses since the other two evening gowns I'd tried on were floor-length. It had a semi-tight inner bodice that gave me a more accentuated hourglass shape which put a little more emphasis on my cleavage. The teal colored lace material of the cocktail evening gown complimented my flaming red hair and contrasted against my pale skin to make me look radiant. It was an absolutely gorgeous dress, but it just didn't have that "wow" factor like the previous gown I had tried on. This Pucci evening gown was a marvelous combination of both contemporary and Victorian era style. It wasn't exactly the evening gown that would fit criterion for the type of evening gown I specifically wanted for tonight's dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque, but nevertheless this would be a great dress for my wedding reception. I already knew that when Vlad saw this Emily Pucci gown I'd get the same reaction I got for the first gown I tried on. Changing out of the Pucci cocktail evening dress, I didn't need to bother to get Vlad's reaction. I had definitely decided on selecting the Monique Lhuillier evening gown because it fit all of my picky criterion _perfectly_.

I'm sure Vlad was keeping track of time otherwise he would have asked Rosalie to inform me that it was nearly time for my dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque. Just like I had last seen him, he was typing away on his Blackberry. I sauntered up to the waiting area couch and announced, "I've decided on a dress selection for tonight's dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque." My statement seemed to have snapped Vlad out of his deep thoughts. Sliding his Blackberry back into his insider jacket pocket, Vlad got up from the couch and headed towards the cash register. I followed few steps behind him with the three dress garment bags draped on my left arm.

Rosalie was standing behind the desk dealing with another customer. They were conversing in some another dialect most probably Creole which was a commonly spoken dialect in New Orleans. I checked my iPhone to see if I had received any text messages while I was trying on dresses. Nothing very urgent just a text message from Denise giving me updates about the final details of the wedding reception. The customer picked up her paid purchases from the counter and headed towards the door.

"How did you like my dress selections, Ms. Crawfield?" Rosalie asked me.

"They were all beautiful evening gowns, but there was one that fit my criteria _perfectly_. The Monique Lhuillier dress is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you so much for your help! I'm looking forward to my dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque tonight. My fiancée is sure in for a surprise."

Going into my purse for my wallet, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Vlad had already pulled out his credit card and was extending it towards Rosalie. "I'll pay for it, Vlad," I said with a firm grasp on his extended arm. "I cannot let you pay for it. You've spoiled me more than enough and it wouldn't be fair towards you."

Pulling my hand off of his extended arm, Vlad replied, "Nonsense, Catherine. I insist on paying...think of this as an early wedding gift."

I was going to put my foot down. I couldn't allow him to pay for the dress because he had spoiled me more than enough bringing me to this exclusive boutique. Money wasn't a problem for me since I usually don't splurge on myself. Typically, I only purchase apparel or dresses when it is a necessity. The problem is that nowadays I don't have enough closet space for my all clothes and special occasion dresses.

"_You_ don't need to do this," I adamantly insisted. "Iam going to pay for the evening gown. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you if I let you pay."

Rosalie wore an amused smirk as she watched Vlad and I argue back and forth over who was going to pay. Clearly, it was rather entertaining to watch us bicker over such a petty issue. Casually leaning against the wall, she continued to witness our trivial quarrel patiently waiting for one of us to hand over a credit card to pay for the gown.

"Catherine. You aren't taking advantage of me. The soon-to-be bride deserves to be treated and this is my early wedding gift to you. Please don't fight me on this. I want to pay for the evening gown."

Vlad had a stubborn personality similar to mine which made much it more difficult to reason with him sometimes. There was _no_ way I was going to win this petty argument. Damnit! I might as well just give up since Vlad is going to win anyway no matter how much I stubbornly insisted that I was going to pay.

"Sorry for to keep you waiting, Rosalie. Catherine can rather stubborn at times." Vlad handed her his credit card.

Swiping the credit card, Rosalie responded with a little chuckle, "No worries. It was very entertaining to watch ya'll bicker over who was going to pay. It isn't often I see these sorts of petty arguments happen. Most women here will not even bother arguing if their male friend or significant other offers to pay for something of theirs."

"Good to know I stand out of typical stereotypical woman," I noted proudly.

"Catherine you defy _many_ stereotypes...you make your own trends," Vlad complimented me with one of those you-know-what-I-mean smirks. Rosalie had no idea how true this statement was. It's great to have friends and loved ones where you can make references that only a few handful of people actually understand what you mean.

Completely oblivious to what Vlad's statement implied, Rosalie added, "Ms. Crawfield is definitely proud of being asserting herself as an independent women. I quickly realized this from how your mannerisms and especially from your entertaining argument with Mr. Tepesh."

"Yes that is exactly what I meant," Vlad answered with a subtle hint of sarcasm that Rosalie failed to pick up on. "Thank you again Rosalie for helping out my friend on such short notice."

"Oh it is no problem. Usually, I'm booked with schedule appointments. Though, today was a slow day with not that many scheduled appointments which is a nice break for me. I am glad that Ms. Crawfield was able to find a formal evening gown that fit her desired criteria. You'll have a great time at Voodoo Barbeque tonight, Ms. Crawfield! Enjoy the rest of your evening Ms. Crawfield and Mr. Tepesh."

Slinging the garment bag with my formal eveningwear dress on my arm, I said, "Thank you for all your assistance, Rosalie! You were a life saver! Enjoy the rest of your evening!"

Vlad and I exited Voluptuous Vixen Boutique. Within the span of two hours, it had become increasingly dark outside. The only lamination was coming from the string of street lamps that lined the main sidewalks. The Ferrari was only parked in front of the boutique. He took the garment bag draped on my arm and cautiously placed it in the tiny trunk so not to wrinkle the dress fabric. I slid into the passenger seat as I waited for Vlad who was standing outside quickly typing something on his Blackberry. Placing the Blackberry back into his inner jacket pocket, he got in the car and placed the keys in the ignition. Before revving up the engine, Vlad turned to me and remarked with an ambiguous smile, "Catherine. I have _one_ more surprise up my sleeve. Don't worry I'll drop you at Voodoo Barbeque in time for you dinner reservation."

"No no no!" I exclaimed lividly. "_No _more surprises for tonight! Just tell fucking tell me where we are going exactly. I don't want any of this cryptic bullshit!"

He burst out into hearty laughter. "Your profanity doesn't affect me, Catherine. I'm not going to tell you exactly where our next destination is. The only thing I'm going to say is that before you go to your dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque tonight there is one more mission you need to finish." Without any further comment or elaboration to explain his ambiguous statement, Vlad revved up the engine and speed off to our next destination. He really is having too much fun messing with me. He is fully aware of the fact that I _hate_ surprises regardless if they are good or bad. Close friends know how the push your buttons. There were some disadvantages of your close friends knowing personal details about you.

_~Spade~_

_Two hours ago..._

I was sitting in my office dealing with some Master vampire related business. Suddenly my computer monitor that had temporarily gone to sleep had woken up. It startled me and interrupted my thought process. _Ding! You have one new message! _ Scanning my e-mail inbox, there was a new e-mail from Tepesh. Why would Tepesh e-mail _me_? It's not like we're business associates. I opened up the e-mail message anyway. It read:

Spade,

I'm in New Orleans right now. Catherine is with me. Marie contacted me a couple days back to bring her to New Orleans because there was something she needed to discuss with her. She didn't tell me her reason for summoning Catherine to New Orleans but I followed her orders without any questions. Catherine is not in any danger. Marie just wanted to have a private conversation with her.

As a wedding gift, Marie has made a dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque tonight at 10 pm. I will keep Catherine busy for the next three hours. I need _you_ to figure out a plan that will get Bones to New Orleans within two hours. Bones and Catherine _need_ to reconcile their differences if they are going to move past their argument. Catherine and Bones haven't come up with any plan of reconciliation so far and there is _less than a day_ till the wedding ceremony! We have no choice but to force an intervention where they must settle this quarrel between them.

I have one more request. With the wedding ceremony planned for tomorrow, Catherine and Bones can hold their wedding rehearsal at Voodoo Barbeque. Marie has reserved the entire second floor for Catherine and six guests tonight. I know this is short notice but it would be great if you and your wife could come to New Orleans tonight. I have to meet with one of my business associates in New Orleans to deal with a very time sensitive matter, so I won't be able to come tonight. You can bring _two_ other guests with you to tonight's dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque.

Good luck!

Vlad Tepesh

Marie? Everyone knows that Queen Marie of New Orleans makes _everyone_ even her close business associates refer to her as "Queen Marie" or "Your Majesty". Were Tepesh and Queen Marie such close friends that they informally refer to each other? It is so strange and mind-blowing to contemplate the powerful Queen Marie of New Orleans having friendly associations with Vlad Tepesh (aka Vlad the Impaler). That is one hell of a friendship...both are legendary and powerful figures among the human and immortal world.

Vlad and I are in no way friends, but we both agree that with less than _24 hours_ till Cat and Crispin's wedding ceremony we've got to take matters into our own hands. Neither Crispin nor Cat have done anything to reconcile and move past their quarrel, so now we've got to stage an intervention. I've got to give Tepesh kudos for thinking on his feet and coming up with such a brilliant plan of action on such short notice. That is why he has been a very powerful and effective Master vampire of his line for more almost _six _centuries!

Now, I had to figure out what would possibly convince Bones to make an impromptu trip to New Orleans. What would make Crispin rush to New Orleans? Unless Crispin is summoned by Queen Marie, there is no chance in hell he was going to New Orleans. There has to be at least one thing that will make him travel to New Orleans tonight.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _ "Honey? It's me, Denise."

"Come in, dear."

My wife entered my office carrying two glasses of scotch. "You've been sitting in your office for the past several hours. I was getting concerned so I just wanted to quickly check up on you. I hope your Master vampire duties aren't stressing you out. I thought you could use a little bit of a break, so I brought two glasses of your favorite whiskey. One for you and one for me."

She handed me one of the glasses of scotch. "That is very kind of you, Denise. I've been dealing with my usual Master vampire duties nothing that requires my immediate attention right now."

Taking a sip of the scotch, my wife remarked, "I believe you for the _most_ part, but there is something that you aren't telling me. I know when you are lying to me about something. What's wrong, Spade?"

Bullocks! No matter how much I try Denise seems to know spot-on when I'm concealing something from her. There are some important business matters that I cannot tell her because it deals with very confidential information that she cannot have any knowledge about. Denise understands that I cannot divulge some confidential details of business deals that are part of my Master vampire duties.

"Spade...? Is the problem you are dealing with involve confidential information that I can't know about?" my wife inquired with a hint of worry in her voice.

"No. The matter that I'm dealing with doesn't involve any confidential information. I'm just not sure how to deal with this matter," I clarified.

"Tell me what the issue you are dealing with...maybe I could help you figure out what course of action you should take."

Giving her a skeptical glance, I wasn't entirely sure Denise could possibly help me figure out how to get Crispin's arse to go to New Orleans within the hour. Even though Cat is her closest friend, my wife doesn't know Crispin as well as I do. Crispin and I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly throughout our immortal lives starting from when Ian turned us into vampire against our will. I just needed to figure out what _exactly_ would motivate Crispin to make an impromptu trip to New Orleans.

Denise got up from her seat and cautiously maneuvered to sit on the edge of the desk so not to shuffle the papers on my desk. Taking ahold of my free hand, she entwined her slim fingers with mine. "Honey, I realize I am not that informed on many matters and details that are part of the vampire world. I hate to see you see look so worrisome. C'mon give me a chance...you never know I might just be resourceful to you," she said.

She does make a valid point. Denise could be resourceful in assisting me figure out a motivation that would get Crispin to New Orleans. "Okay. Tepesh and Catherine are currently in New Orleans because Tepesh was ordered by Queen Marie to bring Cat to New Orleans. Queen Marie wanted to have a private meeting with her. As a wedding present, Her Majesty has arranged private dinner reservation at Voodoo Barbeque restaurant in New Orleans for Cat and six of her guests," I began.

"Well, that sure would explain why Cat has been gone for so long. I was starting to get seriously worried about her. I'm glad that she is safe with Vlad in New Orleans." Denise had definitely been a little bit worried of where Cat could possibly be. Since they started the wedding planning process for Cat's wedding, the women _never_ went longer than four hours without being in contact with each other either in person or via phone call or text message.

"Vlad sent me an e-mail not too long ago...he wants to stage an intervention for Cat and Crispin to resolve this lover's quarrel of theirs because their wedding ceremony is in less than 24 hours. Tepesh instructed me to be creative and figure out a way to get Crispin to come to New Orleans to be at tonight's private dinner reservation at that restaurant. I'm not able to come up with a reason or motivation that would make Crispin suddenly make a trip to New Orleans in less than an hour."

For several minutes, there was absolute silence as both of us individually pondered about one thing that would motivate Crispin to make a trip to New Orleans on such notice.

My mind was drawing a blank. All the ideas I was coming up were absolutely rubbish and useless. There had to be _at least_ one thing that would motivate him.

Denise broke the silence. "This may sound very manipulate but I think I've come up with an idea that might potentially work. You know how Bones immediately reacts when he knows someone he cares about or loves is in danger. Both of us know that Cat is in no danger, but Bones doesn't need to know this. If we make him think that Cat is in some sort of danger, then Bones would make an impromptu trip to New Orleans in a heartbeat."

That was a valid idea. Although, I would hate to make my best friend panic that Cat is in danger when she wasn't. There had to be a reason that didn't involve putting Bones in sheer panic that Cat's well-being was in danger. "That could work, but I don't want make Bones panic over something such as Cat's life being in danger when it isn't true. It would be such an utterly cruel tactic to employ. There has to be something else we can come up that will be effective."

We returned back to pondering of other possible ideas.

"Is there something or someone that he finds that could threaten his happiness or harm the people he cared about?" my wife proposed.

Pahaha...Crispin didn't easily get threatened by other people or immortal creatures. I didn't want to offend Denise by laughing at her question, so I internally contained my laughter whilst still keeping a straight face. It seems that my wife had continued to speak, but I'm not sure what she had just told me. I only picked up on random bits and pieces.

"There has to be someone that Bones feel threatened or scared of...Queen Marie...nah... wait there was that very chaotic time when Cat and Bones dealt with that son of a bitch vampire, Gregor...is he even still alive?" she thought to herself aloud.

Gregor. That's brilliant! Unfortunately, one of my business associates recently informed me that that bastard vampire was still alive somehow. He no longer has any contact with Cat or tries to kidnap her by entering her dreams. Out of all the assholes Bones has dealt with, Gregor nearly scared him shitless because Gregor was a much powerful and older vampire than Crispin.

I sprang out of my chair. Denise seemed to still be in deep thought. Seizing her shoulder, I looked her straight in her eyes and exclaimed with enthusiasm, "You are a genius, honey!"

Clearly a little startled by my sudden motion, "I am...?" she responded as Denise exchanged glances with.

"You were right when you said that you could be resourceful even if you don't know much about the vampire world. Your suggestion just gave me an ingenious course of action of how I will lure Crispin to New Orleans on such notice!" I continued.

"What exactly did I say that sparked this ingenious course of action?" my wife inquired.

A devious grin spread across my face. "Whilst you were thinking aloud you mentioned the sly bastard Gregor who caused a lot of trouble for Crispin, Cat, and others close to them. I've _never_ seen Crispin so intimidated or scared shitless by an immoral being for as long as I've known him until he encountered that French vampire. I know _exactly_ how to get my friend to rush to New Orleans in less than hour," I explained in detail.

Denise gave me a quizzical look. "I still don't know what that means necessarily, but I'm glad that you were able to figure out something. I hadn't realized I suggested something that instantly sparked a brilliant idea. Well, I'll leave you to figure out the exact details of your course of action to get Bones to make an impromptu trip to New Orleans..." she spoke but trailed off as I firmly grasped her wrist.

"Where do you think you are going, dear? I don't need to figure out the exact deals of the how I'm going to accomplish my plan. I already know _exactly_ what I'm going to do."

Her face contorted into a confused expression. "I was going to leave you alone to accomplish whatever you had to do...?" Denise sputtered.

Letting go of her wrist, I responded, "My plan to get Crispin to make a trip to New Orleans within the hour involves _you_. Trust me and just do as I say. My genius scheme is _definitely_ going to work! _We _are going to take a little trip to Crispin's house right now."

"I trust you, Spade, and don't have any doubt that your plan is going to be work successfully. Let's go!"

Denise exited my study room. Grabbing the car keys, my wallet, and iPhone, I quickly glanced around my study room to make sure I didn't leave anything else I needed. Nope. I've got everything I needed.

Wearing her favorite fall jacket and a Coach purse slung on her shoulders, my wife was patiently waiting for me in the foyer area near the front door. "I'm ready, honey. Which car you wanna go in?" I asked.

Without hesitation, Denise replied with grin, "The Aston Martin." The Aston Martin was her favorite out of all the three cars we owned. I already had the car keys to the Vanquish in my hand because I already knew what Denise's response would be even before asking her. Just the mere thought or mention of the Aston Martin Vanquish, her eyes instantly lit joyfully up just like a child opening presents on Christmas day.

Closing the door behind us, I opened the automated garage using my car key. Denise dashed to the navy blue Vanquish and slide into the passenger's seat. I got into the driver's seat and slid the keys into the ignition starting up the engine. Plan "Get Crispin's Arse to New Orleans Pronto" was initiated. Now, things were going to get interesting.

* * *

><p><em>Check out my author homepage to get the three individual links that demonstrate exactly what the three evening gown dresses that Cat tried on look like. <em>

_How is Bones and Cat gonna resolve this argument of theirs? Stay tuned for the next chapter! _


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